very sad and unfortunate for the muslim world.
Syed Aslam <Syed.Aslam3@gmail.com> wrote:
Israeli Officials: Musharraf Met Barak
JERUSALEM (AP) — Pakistan's president held a rare and secret meeting with Israel's defense minister in a Paris hotel last week, and the Iranian nuclear program figured high on the agenda, Israeli defense officials said Monday.The two states have no diplomatic ties, and their officials rarely meet. But Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf and Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak saw each other by chance at the Hotel Raphael in Paris on Jan. 22, where they both were staying, the officials said. They then held a scheduled 20-minute meeting the following day, the officials said.The defense officials spoke on condition of anonymity because Israel's Defense Ministry has not officially confirmed the meeting took place.Barak and Musharraf discussed the possibility that Iran would develop nuclear weapons, the Israeli officials said. Iran and Israel are bitter enemies, and Israel — along with the U.S. and much of the international community — is concerned that Iran's nuclear program is designed to produce weapons. Iran claims it intends to produce energy.Nuclear-armed Pakistan, which has close political and economic ties with Iran, has repeatedly said Iran has a right to develop nuclear technology for peaceful purposes and that the issue of Iran's nuclear plans must be resolved by diplomatic means.At the meeting, Barak also expressed concern that instability in Pakistan could put the country's nuclear arsenal in the hands of Muslim extremists, but Musharraf assured Barak that Pakistan's nuclear weapons were safe, the officials said.In Jerusalem, Barak spokesman Ronen Moshe would not comment.In Islamabad, Foreign Ministry spokesman Mohammed Sadiq said Musharraf had a "chance" meeting with Barak in Paris."The president was leaving and the defense minister of Israel entered the hotel lobby and it was a chance meeting," Sadiq told The Associated Press. "I am not aware of any second meeting."Pakistan is the only Muslim nuclear power. Israel will not confirm or deny that it is a nuclear power, but is widely reported to have the world's sixth-largest stockpile of nuclear weapons.Israel and Pakistan are key allies of the U.S., and there have been indications of warming ties between them. In 2005, Israel's then-foreign minister, Silvan Shalom, met his Pakistani counterpart, Khursheed Kasuri, in Turkey, sparking protests from Islamic hard-liners in Pakistan.In September 2006, Musharraf said Pakistan's government would have to recognize Israel after an independent Palestinian state was established — but not before."We cannot do something that sidelines us from the Muslim world," Musharraf said at the time.Associated Press Writer Sadaqat Jan reported from Islamabad, Pakistan.
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The Associated Press - Jan 28, 2008
Barak and Musharraf discussed the possibility that Iran would develop nuclear weapons, the Israeli officials said. Iran and Israel are bitter enemies, ...
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AFP/File Photo: Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak speaks to the reporters as he leaves the Elysee Palace...
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