Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf arrived in Tehran Wednesday on a two-hour surprise visit for talks with Iranian officials, the state IRNA news agency reported.
He was welcomed by Mohsen Aminzadeh, Deputy Foreign Minister responsible for Afghan affairs at Tehran's Mehrabad airport and later held talks with First Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref on "bilateral ties and notably the crisis in neighbouring Afghanistan," IRNA said.
En route to New York, said the agency, the Pakistani President will also make stopovers at Paris and London at the invitations of the French and British governments.
During his working visit to Paris from November 7-8, Musharraf will hold talks with French President Jacques Chirac who will later be hosting a banquet in his honor. The next day (November 8), he will meet French Prime Minister Lionel Jospin.
The president will then fly to London on November 8 and hold talks with British Prime Minister Tony Blair. The two will later hold a joint press conference. Musharraf will also address members of the British Parliament.
During talks in Paris and London, he will exchange views on the current situation in Afghanistan, the critical situation Pakistan is faced with because of the influx of large number of Afghan refugees fleeing US-led attacks.
Musharraf will arrive in New York on Friday and address the UN General Assembly on Saturday. The same day he will hold talks with UN Secretary General Kofi Annan on the situation in Afghanistan and Kashmir and later attend a luncheon to be hosted by the UN chief.
In the evening, Musharraf will hold formal talks with US President George W. Bush on a wide range of issues including Afghanistan, situation in occupied Kashmir, Pakistan's economy and matters of mutual interest – Albawaba.com
© 2001 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
