<b>Musharraf leads top-level delegation for talks with Lankan leaders</b>

Shamindra Ferdinando - The Island

Pakistani President General Pervez Musharraf is scheduled to visit Sri Lanka next Wednesday (31), a government official said yesterday.

He will be accompanied by Commerce Minister Abdul Razak Dawood, Information and Media Development Minister Nisar A. Memon, Environment, Local Government and Rural Development Minister Mrs. Shahida Jamil and Foreign Minister Inam-ul-Haque. Defence Secretary General Hamid Nawaz will be among a group of top military officials included in the delegation, a Pakistan embassy official said yesterday.

The Pakistan delegation will arrive at the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) in a special flight from Dhaka following a three-day visit there. He is expected to arrive here on Wednesday evening. Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe is scheduled to welcome the Pakistani leader and the delegation at the BIA, the government official said.

President Chandrika Kumaratunga, Prime Minister Wickremesinghe, Defence Minister Tilak Marapana, Foreign Minister Tyronne Fernando and SLMC leader and Minister Rauff Hakeem will hold talks with the Pakistani leader. Talks will cover trade, investment and bilateral and regional co-operation. Pakistan and Sri Lanka are expected to enter into two agreements including a Free Trade Agreement (FTA).

The government official said that the talks will also cover co-operation between Pakistani and Sri Lankan armed forces.

Foreign Minister Fernando held talks with General Musharraf, Foreign Minister Inam-ul-Haque, Commerce Minister Abdul Razak Dawood and Finance Minister Shankat Aziz last week when he visited Islamabad last week.

During General Musharraf’s 24 hour visit, the minister-in-attendance will be M. H. Mohammed.

An SLMC source said that Minister Hakeem will brief General Musharraf on the problems faced by the Muslims in the east, particularly those caused by the recent bout of violence which resulted in at least 13 deaths among the Muslims.

The General visited Colombo in the second week of October 1999 to participate in the 50th anniversary celebrations of the Sri Lanka Army. He ousted Premier Navaz Sharif in a bloodless coup immediately after his return home from Colombo.

Courtesy - The Island