Pakistan Foreign Minister Khurshid Mehmood Kasuri has separate telephonic conversations with his Indian, Sri Lankan and Bangladesh counterparts to express condolences and sympathies on behalf of the people and government of Pakistan to the victims of earthquake and tsunami, an official statement said. Kasuri also condoled the death of Indian National Security Advisor J. N. Dixit during his conversation with Indian External Affairs Minister Natwar Singh and hoped the Pakistan-India peace process would be sustained. The statement said that Singh told Kasuri that he was looking forward to his visit to Pakistan to continue the composite dialogue process. Kasuri referred to the mechanism, which Pakistan Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz in his capacity as Chairman of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), had recently suggested for the establishment of an early warning system to avert such natural disasters in future. Kasuri spoke to Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar about the tsunami disaster and the large number of people who have been rendered homeless in Sri Lanka. He told Kadirgamar about the two naval ships that have been dispatched to Sri Lanka, which will be carrying helicopters together with a marine expeditionary force as well as doctors, paramedical supplies, relief goods and foodstuff. Bangladesh Foreign Minister M Morshed Khan phoned Kasuri and consulted with him about the dates for holding of the SAARC summit. They also discussed the prospects for Pakistan and Bangladesh to coordinate their efforts in the relief operations in the region.
