Pakistan: Commonwealth Foreign Ministers Arrive For Talks With Military Rulers On Restoration Of Democratic Rule

Record ID: 4115

  • Title: Pakistan: Commonwealth Foreign Ministers Arrive For Talks With Military Rulers On Restoration Of Democratic Rule
  • Date: 28th October 1999
  • Summary: A team of Commonwealth foreign ministers has met Pakistan's President Rafiq Tarar to determine whether Pakistan's new military rulers will restore democratic rule. Meanwhile, Pakistani military chief General Pervez Musharraf has returned home after a trip abroad to garner support for his government, a day before meeting the foreign delegation. Canadian Foreign Minister Lloyd Axworthy, who led the Commonwealth delegation, has condemned the military coup unreservedly. However the four-member team, which arrived in Islamabad on October 28, has been careful to keep the door to negotiations open to encourage a peaceful restoration of democracy. It is the first high-level visit by a foreign delegation since the coup and follows Pakistan's suspension from a Commonwealth summit and criticism of varying degrees from the United States, European Union and Japan. Kaye Whiteman, a Commonwealth spokesman, said the team will assess the situation and submit a report to the group's meeting next month. He said the team will meet the Pakistan authority including Musharraf, President Rafiq Tarar, Chief Justice, political leaders, the Human Rights Commission and representatives of civil society. "The ministers will listen carefully to an array of views for the best interests of the Pakistani people and the principles of the Commonwealth to which all its members adhere to," Whiteman said. He added that the team would write up a report ahead of a meeting for Commonwealth heads of state. Also on October 28, Pakistan's military ruler General Pervez Musharraf arrived in Karachi after a three-day visit to neighbouring Saudi Arabia and the United Arabs Emirates. Musharraf paid tribute to Pakistan's founder Mohammed Ali-Jinnah after his first trip abroad since seizing power.
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  • Location: PAKISTAN ISLAMABAD
  • Reuters ID: LDL0012BTBGC7
  • Aspect Ratio: 4:3
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  • Copyright Holder: Reuters Archive
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