Pakistani President Meets US Congressmen

Pakistani President Meets US Congressmen

Agence France Presse
August 28, 2001

Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf Tuesday met Bob Graham, chairman of the US Senate select committee on intelligence, to discuss regional security and Afghanistan, the foreign ministry said.

It said Graham was leading a three-member Congressional delegation including Jon Kyl and Porter Goss which was in Islamabad to review aspects of Pakistan-US relations. "The discussions focused on various aspects of Pakistan-US bilateral relations," the ministry said in a statement.

"Latest developments in Kashmir and other issues of regional peace and security as well as current developments in Afghanistan were also discussed," it said.

Meanwhile a delegation of US Congressional staff met the ambassador to Pakistan from Afghanistan's ruling Taliban militia, Abdul Salam Zaeef, a report said.

The Afghan Islamic Press reported that the staffers discussed the extradition of Osama bin Laden, a Saudi millionaire living in Afghanistan who is wanted in the United States for allegedly plotting twin US embassy bombings in Africa in 1998.

"The two sides discussed Osama bin Laden and Zaeef assured the delegation that the Taliban government wanted to settle the issue through negotiations," the report said, quoting an embassy spokesman.

"Zaeef assured US delegation that the Taliban would never allow bin Laden to use Afghanistan to launch attacks on the US or any other country."

Pakistan is one of only three countries which recognises the Taliban Islamic regime and Washington hopes Islamabad will use its influence in Kabul to secure bin Laden's extradition.

But Musharraf insists the Taliban cannot be influenced and the matter is a bilateral problem which should be solved through talks between Kabul and Washington.

The meetings coincide with US, German and Australian government efforts to negotiate the release of eight of their nationals who have been detained in Afghanistan for allegedly preaching Christianity.

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