960423

Gilani briefs

German president

on Kashmir

ISLAMABAD: Speaker National Assembly, Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani called on the President of Germany, Prof. Dr. Roman Herzog at the Villa Hammerschmidst, the official residence of the President, in Bonn, on Monday, according to a message received here.

During the meeting, which lasted about 45 minutes a wide range of subjects was discussed, including the Kashmir problem, the hostage crisis in Occupied Kashmir and other matters of mutual interest.

The speaker, who is on a ten-day visit to the Federal Republic of Germany is a guest of the Hans-Seidel Foundation. He is accompanied by Javed Hashmi MNA, Secretary National Assembly Abdul Rauf Khan Lughmani and Joint Secretary Khalid Sultan.

The Speaker apprised the German President about the situation in occupied Kashmir. He pointed out the renewed repression to which the people of Occupied Kashmir were being subjected as a prelude to the so-called "elections". Herzog said that the German Government was watching the situation closely and he would convey his concern to the relevant quarters.

Prof. Dr. Roman Herzog asked the Speaker to convey to President Farooq Leghari and the Government of Pakistan his appreciation and gratitude for the help that Pakistan had extended to the German government on the hostage crisis. He expressed the hope that all concerned would continue their efforts for the early release of the Western hostages in Occupied Kashmir.

The German President recalled his recent visit to Pakistan with great fondness and said that the visit had been a very enjoyable experience for him.

Yousaf Gilani also discussed matters relating to the Constitution with the German President who is a former Professor of Constitutional Law and has written a book on the subject. The Speaker briefed the President on the recent measures regarding separation of Judiciary from the Executive, a development that was highly appreciated by President Herzog.

Later in the evening the Speaker attended a dinner hosted in his honour by Ambassador of Pakistan Asad Durrani.

During his stay in Germany, the Speaker will also visit Munich and Berlin before turning to Pakistan.-APP