From Emirates News Newspaper, Abu Dhabi, Friday, November 14, 1986

By our correspondent

Pakistani President Mohammed Zia-ul-Haq and Prime Minister, Mohammed Khan Junejo, have both hailed their country's close relations with the AGCC countries in different fields and thanked the AGCC states for the help that they are extending to Pakistan.

"The greater the consolidation of cooperation amongst Gulf countries, the greater the same between Pakistan and them because we are their closest neighbour," President Zia declared. "We regard Pakistan as the backyard of the Gulf and take pride in that"

Mr Junejo said: "We have deep respect for the Muslim countries of the AGCC and have the best of personal and cooperative relations with them. We are all also members of the ICO and have no differences on any issues"

The President and the Prime Minister made their remarks in separate interviews with the UAE TV in Abu Dhabi and broadcast this week on Monday and Wednesday nights respectively. The interviews were conducted in Islamabad by Mr Adel Bishtawi, Managing Editor of the Emirates News Agency (WAM).

President Zia said that the formation of the AGCC had provided Pakistan with an instrument with which to seek closer and collective cooperation with the Gulf countries. "We compliment the six countries for creating the AGCC and although Pakistan is not a member, we consider ourselves a part and parcel of the Gulf and would welcome institutionalised cooperation which was initially on bilateral basis:' he said.

Mr Junejo said regional cooperation and unity of purpose are the order of priority in today's world and referred to the existence of such regional groupings elsewhere, such as the EEC and Saarc.

On the Iran-Iraq war, President Zia said he as a Muslim was ever optimistic, "But my humble opinion is that the war will not end until both belligerents have the political will to end it" All the Arab, Muslim and world efforts to end the war will only make progress when the two countries first indicate their A, to end it, he said. It takes two to make a war and it also takes two to end it.

The next Islamic summit in Kuwait in January, President Zia hoped, would once again take tip the Gulf war and discuss a solution to it. In that connection, he also hoped that Iran would participate in the summit, after having abstained from the last Islamic summit in 1983 in Casablanca. "And we also hope that Iraq, as in the past, will be magnanimous and flexible for the peace of the region," President Zia said.

Mr Junejo said that he had never thought that the war would last so long, but hoped that even now better sense would prevail.

Asked about the ordinary Pakistani's reaction to the recent Pan Am hijacking incident at Karachi airport, President Zia replied that initially the Pakistanis had reacted with "disgust and disappointment" but he and his government had later taken firm steps to tell the people of the difference between the PLO, Yasser Arafat and some misguided Palestinian youth.

"The incident in no way affects Pakistan's fundamental support for the Palestinian cause and the Palestinian people's right to self determination. The Pakistani people have now understood this basic policy," the President said.

Transcript of TV interview by A.S. Bishtawi with former Pakistani President Mohammed Zia-ul-Haq:

Friday, November 14, 1986

OPENING STATEMENT

It is a matter of great honour to me to be able to speak a few words on the 7th Summit of the Gulf Cooperation Council. It is a matter of great satisfaction, and great honour for us that such a regional cooperation is progressing so effectively in our neighbourhood. As you are aware Pakistan considers it a matter of great honour and privilege to be not only a Muslim country which is so closely linked with our brother countries in the Gulf but also as a neighbour and therefore I hurry to extend my heartiest congratulations on the success of the the 7th summit of the GCC, and also my compliments to the United Arab Emirates for holding the summit for the second time.
I have met all the leaders of the Gulf countries, and I am greatly honoured. Each one of them is a leader, a benefactor, a statesman in his own right, but I hope you will forgive me if I single one person out, and that is my brother Shaikh Zayed. I think Shaikh Zayed is not only a leader of the United Arab Emirates, and not only the chairman of the Emirates, but I consider him a leader of Pakistan also. I am telling you very sincerely because his love and affection for Pakistan is so abundant and so clear and manifested in his various actions that we in Pakistan have great regard for him, and I have often told Shaikh Zayed that if ever he had to stand for presidency of Pakistan, he can have no doubt in getting the votes.
I wish the summit great success and I hope that with their success the idea of the regional cooperation among the Gulf countries will be strengthened now and will be more effective than in the past.

Q: Pakistan has very special relations with all the member states of the GCC countries, which , in your opinion, are the fields of cooperation that require further strengthening and expansion?

A: Personally I am of the opinion that we can not pinpoint any particular field because at the present moment by the Grace of Allah the cooperation between Pakistan and each of the Gulf countries is unique in its own right. We have cooperation in every field whether be it commerce, trade, education, cultural associations, Islamic connections and every other field, and Pakistan is grateful for the Gulf countries in encouraging Pakistani manpower, and we ourselves are grateful for the Gulf countries for the many other areas in which Pakistan has been helped. Therefore I feel that the greater the consolidation of cooperation amongst the Gulf countries the greater the cooperation between Pakistan and the Gulf countries because we are the closest neighbour. We call Pakistan the backyard of the Gulf countries and we take pride in this.

Q: In which new directions did relations between Pakistan and the GCC member states develop since the inception of the Council in 1981?

A: Very frankly I have been trying to assess as to whether I can single out any particular aspect by which the governments of the Gulf countries Pakistan has been specially linked.... and we have come to the conclusion, at least my assessment says, that while there is greater cooperation with each of the GCC countries, with the advent of the GCC there is an instrument available now with which Pakistan and all the Gulf countries can come together in the filed of cooperation and collaboration as a unit of the regional powers. We are not members of the Gulf, and we compliment the six countries for having created this council, but we consider ourselves a very close part and parcel of the Gulf, and as such I am sure with the advent of the Council in 1981, there has been more institutionalized cooperation which was initially on bilateral basis.

Q: Mr. President, the establishment of the GCC has contributed in bringing about a greater measure of stability and security to the Gulf region, what are the means, in your assessment, to enhance such vital role?

A: Unity, and the mere fact that these days, apart from unity, this is the era of regional cooperation. We have seen many regional organisations rising, forming and collapsing. But I must say to the praise of the Gulf Council that ever since 1981 I have found that this is a vehicle, by which we have found the unity, unified action, unity of thought and promotion of bilateral relations at its best amongst the Gulf countries and I compliment them for this.

Q: Mr. President, if we move a little bit into more details, how do you view the steps taken so far by the GCC countries to achieve closer social, economic, political and military integration?

A: I think this as a result of the various schemes and actions that have been taken, I think the GCC has very good record in promoting bilateral understanding and solving some of the very intriguing disputes, bringing in greater size of trade and commerce amongst themselves; not duplicating their efforts but consolidating their effort so that one project can benefit more than one country, and I think I can count a number of such projects one can find that the Gulf has really gone on for consolidation and cooperation amongst the six countries.

Q: If you allow me to move into other issues, almost all efforts exerted to stop the continuing war between Iran and Iraq have been unfruitful so far, what, in your opinion, are the required elements to bring this conflict to an amicable conclusion, and have we seen the end of efforts to stop the war for the foreseeable future?

A: Brother Adel I am an optimist by nature. A Muslim must be optimistic because he believes in Allah and nothing should worry him, but with regard to the Iran-Iraq war it takes more than one to create a fight; it takes more than one country to go to war, and this war between Iran and Iraq, in my humble opinion, will not be brought to an end until both belligerent have the political will to end the war, and the moment they decide this we will find that all efforts that are at present on the move from the Organisation of Islamic Conference and other organisations will be fruitful, and as Muslims we should pray that Allah will enable our brothers to consider this aspect and end the war.

Q: I presume this issue will be discussed in full at the Islamic summit meeting in Kuwait, will Pakistan present any new ideas in this concern?

A: I will be frank with you we have no new solutions. All we are pursuing is as members of the OIC and members of the Peace Committee, as Muslims, as neighbours of Iran, as fellow brothers with Iraq pleading with the two countries to stop the war, and we will continue to do so, and we hope one day it will bring the war to an end.

Q: What would you think the Islamic Summit is going to achieve in Kuwait?

A: I hope and pray that Iran participates because I feel that if we isolate Iran it will not be in the interest of the Muslim community or the OIC or the interest of peace so I hope and pray Iran participates. We tried our best in the 1979 summit, and we tried our best in 1983 in Casablanca, and I started suggesting that we must try to have Iran attend this conference, and I hope that Iraq, as usual, will be magnanimous like we found them in the past, and if we can have the two of them and listen to both sides and then can bring about a solution which is to the benefit of both and which can offer something and thus hope that peace can be brought to these two countries.