At the end of a two-day visit by Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri to Islamabad on Wednesday, Pakistan announced it would help Lebanon get rid of thousands of mines left over from the long civil war and Israeli occupation, reported the Daily Star.
Pakistan will send 300 military experts to Beirut in a bid to clear areas littered with mines left over from the country's civil war and Israel's occupation of the south, Hariri told reporters before departure.
He added that the efforts would help Lebanese, Syrian, and UN sappers.
The premier also said that Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf had agreed to provide 12 Lebanese officers with military training every year.
Hariri said Pakistan would also benefit from its relationship with Lebanon.
Prior to the meeting between the Lebanese and Pakistani delegations, both Musharraf and Hariri conferred separately for an hour, said the paper.
Hariri told a news conference after the talks that ministers from both countries would meet regularly to strengthen bilateral economic and commercial relations and pave the way for Pakistan to benefit from Lebanon's position as the commercial hub of the Arab World and the gateway to Europe.
Hariri said Lebanon's position was ideal for Pakistan to market its products in the Middle East and Europe.
Moreover, speaking to Arab ambassadors in Islamabad, Hariri declared that the nation would not act as Israel's border guards, and said that he "rejected pressures exerted on the government to send the army to the south."
The premier reiterated Lebanon's determination to liberate all territories still under Israeli occupation, in reference to the still-occupied Shabaa Farms.
Hariri also expressed his support for the Palestinians' latest uprising against 34 years of Israeli military occupation, and denounced the Jewish state's plans to "displace the Palestinians." – Albawaba.com
© 2001 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
