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Jamali to visit Iran on peace mission

By B. Muralidhar Reddy

ISLAMABAD Feb. 11. The Pakistan Prime Minister, Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali, is visiting Iran on a three-day official visit beginning on Saturday.

The sudden visit of Mr. Jamali to Teheran assumes significance in the wake of the fast changing situation in the Gulf and the war clouds looming large over Iraq.

As a new non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, Pakistan finds itself in a predicament on the Iraq crisis.

Last fortnight, Mr. Jamali was in the Gulf holding talks with Arab leaders on a way out to avert a conflict.

The anti-American sentiment in Pakistan is strong and could pose problems to the Government if war breaks out in the Gulf.

Islamabad wants to be seen as working hard for a peaceful resolution of the Iraq problem.

Mr. Jamali's visit to Teheran is also significant in the context of the recent efforts by Pakistan and Iran to bury their differences, caused largely by the Taliban regime in Afghanistan, and forge new ties.

There is little doubt that the visit of the Iranian President, Mohammad Khatami, to Pakistan in the last week of December has left a "feel good factor".

However, there is some degree of concern in official circles here over the visit of Mr. Khatami to New Delhi and the number of agreements signed between India and Iran.

There are some misgivings about the defence-related talks between the two countries. Perhaps, Mr. Jamali may gently broach the subject with the Iranian side just to reassure himself and the Pakistani delegation.

In the course of his three-day visit, Mr. Jamali is expected to discuss bilateral relations, the regional situation and world matters with Iranian leaders.

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