Prime Minister rules out trade links with Israel before Palestinian settlement

ISLAMABAD (September 17 2005): Pakistan on Friday ruled out the possibility of establishing trade relations with Israel before emergence of an independent Palestinian state. "There is no possibility at the moment of having trade links with Israel, or according recognition to it," Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz told a press conference at his Chamber in Parliament House here.

When his views were sought on reports that Israel had allowed import of Pakistani goods, he said that each country could change rules accordingly to serve its interests.

He defended the recent meeting between Foreign Minister Khurshid Mehmood Kasuri and Israeli foreign minister Silvan Shalom, and said that it was aimed at supporting the Palestinian cause. However, he quickly added that the question of recognising Israel could arise only after an independent Palestinian state was established. "This is what the Organisation of Islamic Conference stands for," he said.

He outrightly rejected reports, based on Aitzaz Ahsan's remarks in the National Assembly the other day, that a speech was being written to send the Parliament packing.

He sounded optimistic about a consensus formula on National Finance Commission Award on some give-and-take, keeping in view the discussions held on Thursday. However, he gave no cut-off date in this context.

"We want that the financial condition in provinces should improve and the meeting was held in that spirit, and provinces' representatives openly aired their reservations and proposals thereon," he said.

As far as distribution of resources was concerned, he said that the situation was before the provinces and the federating units well understood that the Centre, among other things, had to run the government and handle debt servicing.

The Prime Minister said that without availability of ample resources, the government could not run the affairs and added that withdrawal of PDL had caused Rs 70 billion cut in funds.

He described the meeting in New York between President Pervez Musharraf and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh as continuation of the process to make headway on bilateral issues.

Shaukat conceded that the issues were complicated and their solution would take time. However, he added that such meetings helped understand each other's viewpoint.

He reiterated that Pakistan stood for peaceful settlement of the Kashmir problem and other issues and that India also wanted their peaceful resolution.

The Prime Minister is likely to meet his Indian counterpart at the Commonwealth summit, Shanghai meeting and the Saarc summit in Bangladesh.

On reports of differences within the ruling Pakistan Muslim League, he said there was no rift in the party. "In some districts, there are some problems which need looking into."

He said that Majid Malik met him on Thursday. Malik, defying the party, is vying for the slot of Chakwal Nazim.

About Senate session, he said that the matter should be settled in the House and the opposition should participate in proceedings. "Walkouts won't serve any purpose," he added.

He said the rules were clear about chairing the session in the absence of Senate chairman. Quorum, he claimed, was not a problem in the National Assembly and asserted that it was collective responsibility of the treasury and opposition to ensure smooth functioning of the House.

The Premier denied that treasury members were conspiring against him ever since he assumed the office of Prime Minister.

He said that the government wanted the parliamentary committee on Balochistan to take forward its job.

While he was answering a question about growing violence against women, for a moment power supply was suspended.

He said he was personally monitoring the situation and the government was taking concrete measures to face the challenge.

Quoting Quaid-e-Azam, he said that women had a crucial role in nation's building and their participation in all spheres of life was imperative.

Without naming the NGOs, he said that some elements were over-highlighting the acts of violence against women at national and international levels, which was regrettable.