Amid the worsening Middle East situation, President Pervez Musharraf's diplomatic initiative has raised hopes for a strong collective push by the Muslim world for peace and harmony. Setting aside his pressing engagements at the domestic front, President Musharraf accepted the challenge.
He embarked on the mission to bring Muslim leaders together to come up with a new concerted approach to resolving the Palestine issue, lying at the heart of the Middle East crisis and ending turmoil in Iraq and Lebanon.
His efforts undoubtedly conform to wishes of saner people, within and outside the Islamic world, for urgently addressing the explosive issues, fraught with grave dangers for regional and global peace.
It is indeed a big challenge as how to douse the flames that have the potential to engulf the whole region and affect every country in the world including Pakistan.
President Musharraf toured five Arab countries - Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, Syria and United Arab Emirates - last month, holding in-depth talks with their leaders.
After receiving very encouraging response from the Arab leaders, the President travelled to two major Muslim countries of South East Asia, Indonesia and Malaysia. His discussions with the leaders in these countries also drew whole-hearted support for the initiative.
During the visit, the local media in their write-ups highlighted President Musharraf's stature as a statesman of international standing who enjoys a respectable position in the comity of nations, particularly in the Muslim world, due to courageous and bold stand against terrorism and extremism and his vision of Enlightened Moderation.
He received whole-hearted support from the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah, who along with crown prince Sultan received him on his arrival at Riyadh airport. In recognition of his great services for the welfare of the Ummah, King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz and President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed al Nahyan of UAE conferred their country's highest civil awards on him.
Similarly, the President Bashar al-Assad of Syria was also supportive of Pervez Musharraf and he was also received him personally at Damascus airport. In their talks, they were agreed for urgent fresh efforts involving Arab and other influential and like-minded Muslim countries for peace and conflict resolution in the Middle East.
Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, King Abdullah of Jordan and the UAE President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al-Nahyan also fully endorsed President Musharraf's peace mission.
Besides having 'face-to-face' interaction with Muslim leaders, the President also spoke on telephone to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmedinejad Turkey's President Ahmet Necdet Sezer and Prime Minister Taayyip Recep Erdogan about the urgency for a forceful and credible strategy.
While taking a unanimous position, they agreed that the turmoil and the increasing violence and new dangers looming over the horizon in the Middle East are having direct impact on the security of every Muslim country. Extremism and terrorism threatens to destabilise their societies.
In his discussions with leaders of the seven countries as well as in exchanges he had over telephone or with visiting dignitaries in Pakistan recently, President Musharraf found the same concern and anxiety and convergence on the need for a new strong initiative on the Middle East and to work for harmony in the Islamic World.
Diplomatic sources said there was an identity of views, which augured well for the success of the initiative.
President Musharraf told reporters during his visits to Jakarta and Kuala Lumpur that the leaders agreed to keep in close touch with each other for a joint initiative for an effective and pragmatic strategy to address the complex Middle East situation, especially the longstanding Palestine issue.
It was agreed that there was no room for complacency and there was dire need to work together with a sense of urgency and firmness to prevent further tragedy and catastrophe.
The situation in Palestine has aggravated and Lebanon remains in crisis following Israeli invasion and withdrawal. Iraq is mired in increasing violence and there are other new and ominous dangers. "There is great need for harmony within the Muslim world and unity to address the dangers it faces," a Foreign Ministry statement announcing the launch of the presidential initiative had emphasised.
Even before, the grave situation had been on the top of the agenda during discussions with visiting dignitaries from Islamic countries and during the visits undertaken by President Musharraf and Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz to Middle East capitals.
During these contacts it was often suggested that as an important Islamic country, Pakistan should make its contribution to help peace efforts in the Middle East. President Musharraf has also engaged leaders from the West to emphasise urgency and the imperative need for addressing the Palestinian issue and the Middle East situation.
Pakistan has always supported the Palestinian cause, forcefully advocating implementation of the relevant Security Council resolutions, Israeli withdrawal to the 1967 borders and the establishment of an independent Palestinian State with Al-Quds as its capital, living side by side with Israel in security and peace.
Islamabad had welcomed the Beirut initiative of 2002 and emphasised the need for implementation of the Quartet roadmap. Pakistan has upheld its principled position on Palestine at every international forum.
Pakistan has noted with deep concern the dissension within the Palestinian leadership as well as the new dangerous divisions that have appeared within the Middle East owing to the grave conflict in Iraq.
President Musharraf told stated at a news conference in Rawalpindi on Friday that the leaders of the countries he visited shared his concern over the situation in Palestine and the Middle East and expressed full support for launching a strong new initiative on the Middle East.
Expressing concern at the deteriorating situation in the Palestinian territories, Foreign Minister Khurshid Kasuri while addressing a joint press conference along with his Egyptian counterpart Ahmed Aboul Ghet made it clear that Pakistan will never support recognising Israel without settlement of Palestinian issue, according the popular wishes of the Ummah.
Kasuri explained the main factors which prompted President Musharraf to embark on the peace mission, first the emotional attachment of the Pakistani people with Palestinian issue and the other is possible fallout of the deteriorating situation on country like Pakistan which also bordering the Middle East countries.
While pleading for peace, during the seven-nation tour President also spoke on Pakistan's strong desire and concerted endeavour, bringing normalcy with India. In this connection, while flying over India, he also sent special messages to the Indian leadership conveying them again for urgent need of conflict resolution.
On the third leg of his tour to the Muslim countries, the President Musharraf now also scheduled to pay personal visit to Iran and Turkey within next couple of days, seeking a fair and a just soluion of the Palestine issue.
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