By IRNA,
Islamabad : Pakistan’s President Asef Ali Zardari said here Monday west should note the fact that nature of Iran’s nuclear program is totally peaceful.
The Pak president made the comment in an exclusive interview with IRNA, adding, “Iran has begun its plan for the expansion and further development of its nuclear program with totally peaceful objectives in mind as Tehran has no need to possession of nuclear weapons.”
Referring to the viewpoints of those countries that hold tight to the idea that it is necessary to halt the expansion of Iran’s nuclear activities, President Zardari reiterated, “I believe rather than speaking of imposing further pressure, those countries had better step forward and start interacting and holding dialogue with Iran.”
The president of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan said, “Iran and Pakistan are two regional powers and none of them need to resort to nuclear weapons. Both Tehran and Islamabad take advantage of this technology merely for peaceful purposes, particularly for generating energy.”
EMPHAIS ON NEED FOR COMPREHENSIVE COOPERATION
Zardari furthermore focused on the two countries’ security and border cooperation, reiterating, “Security issues and problems, particularly at border regions during the course of the past decades have showed that our two countries have shared concerns that can be resolved merely relying on close interactions and broad cooperation.”
The Pak president added, “The two countries’ border cooperation is among the most important achievements of the Tehran-Islamabad Proximity Security Pact and I hope relying on a newly signed agreement in that framework, we would witness the strengthening of shared borders.”
Zardari emphasized, “Tehran and Islamabad can by boosting cooperation and exchange of ideas contribute to stabilizing the situation at border regions and blocking the path for the traffic of the hooligans and traffickers.”
NEED FOR REGIONAL COOPERATION AGAINST TERRORISM
The President of Pakistan emphasized that the root for the chaotic conditions should be sought in terrorism, adding, “The roots of increased crises in the region should be sought in terrorist tendencies.
He added, “Growth of terrorism has led to the emergence of chaotic conditions in the region and the Government of Pakistan intends to launch a comprehensive campaign against that horrible phenomenon.”
In response to the question how can regional cooperation lead to peace and real campaign against terrorism, Zardari said, “The region is entangled with extremism and expansion of terrorism today and only the regional countries, relying on continuous cooperation can combat this phenomenon seriously.”
Pointing out that Iran, Pakistan and Afghanistan are victims of terrorism, he added, “Regional cooperation between Iran and Pakistan, particularly aimed at boosting security in Afghanistan, plays an important role in improvement of regional peace and security, because stabilizing the situation in that country would lead to the establishment of peace and security in entire region.”
Focusing on the future of Pakistan’s campaign against terrorism, President Zardari said, “We are sure in confrontation with the challenges that are facing us, particularly in campaign against terrorism and extremism, we would definitely be successful. Pakistan is a strong country that can manage its problems and challenges effectively.”
He reiterated, “The peripheral regions of Pakistan, particularly those in Afghanistan and India, are faced with lots of problems, but regardless of those issues, Islamabad tries to conquer such problems relying on wisdom and rationalism.”
The president of Pakistan referred to the record and achievements of the one year tenure of his country’s ruling People’s Party, arguing, “The People’s Party is the inheritor of many problems, but has managed to eliminate the challenges in its way relying on collective identity of our nation.”
Elaborating on the existing crises in Pakistan, he added, “The government’s efforts are aimed at decreasing the density of the political, security and economic problems and challenges, and to solve the entire problems and difficulties of the people seriously.”
FUTURE OF IRAN-PAKISTAN RELATIONS
President Zardari then referred to the warm relations between Iran and Pakistan during the tenure of the late Pak president Zofaqar Ali Butho, the founder of his country’s People’s Party and the late former Pak prime minister Benazir Butho, emphasizing, “The good relations of the late People’s Party leaders with Iran is a model to following which we, too, are faithful to.”
The president of Pakistan said, “We hope during the new era, too, the People’s Party would manage to expand the range of its comprehensive cooperation with Iran, and to further strengthen the foundations of interactions with your country more than ever before.”
Zardari at the end referred to the importance of the upcoming gathering of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) in Tehran, emphasizing, “Interactions and activities within such organizations lead to greater proximity among member countries and Pakistan, too, as one of the old and founding members of ECO, side by side with Iran and Turkey, hopes that the results of that gathering would lead to deepening and expansion of economic ties among these three countries.”