Musharraf looks forward to 'wholesome meeting'

Hoping to achieve 'positive indications' for progress in his forthcoming talks with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in New York, Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf on Sunday said he looked forward to a 'wholesome meeting' with him dealing with all issues, including Kashmir.

"I look forward to a ... wholesome meeting, dealing with all issues, very much including Kashmir. And I look forward to positive indications for progress," Musharraf told reporters in Islamabad before departing for New York.

The Musharraf-Singh meeting, which was earlier planned for September 22, has now been rescheduled for September 24 on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly. This meant that Musharraf would extend his stay in US as he was earlier scheduled to return on September 23.

The two leaders would be assisted by their foreign ministers and the National Security Advisers.

The Singh-Musharraf meeting comes within 20 days of talks between External Affairs Minister K Natwar Singh and his Pakistani counterpart Khurshid Mehmood Kasuri in New Delhi earlier this month to review the first round of composite dialogue process.

Musharraf said that during his stay in US he would meet President George W Bush and several other world leaders and make effort to correct 'misperceptions' about Pakistan.

"First I am going to address the UN General Assembly, basically it is that but combined with that, we would like to project Pakistan in US, correct misperceptions and also encourage investment in Pakistan." 

"I am going to meet a number of leaders. I will be meeting President Bush also. This will be of course exchange of views on all world issues and I look forward to it," said Musharraf, who is scheduled to address the UN General Assembly on Sept 22 and hold breakfast meeting with Bush the same day.

In his speech at the UN General Assembly, Musharraf will highlight Pakistan's position on regional and international issues, including the situation in South Asia, Iraq, Afghanistan and the Middle East, security and disarmament issues, terrorism and matters relating to finance and development, Pakistani officials said.

At his meeting with Bush, he will discuss the regional situation, particularly the Pakistan-India dialogue process and the forthcoming elections in Afghanistan, they said.

The two leaders will also review the progress in the war against terrorism and the cooperation between Pakistan and the US in this context, the officials said.

On his return from the US, Musharraf is expected to visit Italy and Netherlands. However, his visit to the two countries has not yet been officially announced.

For his visit to the US, Musharraf is accompanied by his wife Begum Sehba, Information Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed Foreign Minister Kasuri, Ministers of State for Foreign Affairs and Tourism and senior government officials.

He was seen off at the Pakistan Air Force Base Chaklala by Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz, Chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee Gen Muhammad Aziz Khan, Vice Chief of Army Staff Gen Muhammad Yousaf Khan, Foreign Secretary Riaz Khokhar, Ambassadors of the US, Italy, the Netherlands and other senior government and military officials.