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Pakistan's Musharraf backs China on Tibet, Olympics

Other News Materials 11 April 2008 12:47 (UTC +04:00)

(dpa) - Pakistani leader Pervez Musharraf on Friday said he opposed attempts to politicize the Beijing Olympics and backed China's stance against independence movements in its Tibetan areas.

"Pakistan firmly opposes any attempt to politicize the Beijing Olympic games and any actions to disrupt the event," state media quoted Musharraf as telling Chinese President Hu Jintao in the southern island resort of Hainan.

Musharraf said Pakistan regarded Tibet as an "inalienable part of Chinese territory and firmly opposes any actions to split China," the official Xinhua news agency said.

He said Pakistan would strengthen cooperation with China in "fighting against terrorist and extremist forces."

China on Thursday said it had arrested 35 suspects who were accused of plotting terrorist attacks during the Olympics in August.

It linked the plot to the East Turkestan Islamic Movement, which it has previously accused of training terrorists from China's Uighur ethnic group in Pakistan.

Hu gave Musharraf a state welcome with a military guard on honour before their talks on Friday.

Speaking in Islamabad on Thursday, Musharraf said he would call upon Beijing during his six-day official visit of China to enhance nuclear cooperation between the two countries.

The Pakistani leader earlier said he planned to take part in an Olympic torch relay leg in Islamabad on April 16.

On Friday, he told Hu that Pakistan would do its best to ensure that torch relay in Pakistan was a success.

Hu and Musharraf are in Hainan to attend the Boao Asian economic forum on Saturday and Sunday.

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