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Commonwealth Secretariat press release

Commonwealth Secretary-General to visit Pakistan, Singapore, Maldives and India

20 October 2004

The Commonwealth Secretary-General, Don McKinnon, will visit Pakistan, Singapore, Maldives and India from 22 to 29 October to discuss issues of Commonwealth interest, including arrangements for the next Heads of Government Meeting in Malta in 2005.

Mr McKinnon will be in Pakistan from 22 to 23 October 2004. He will meet President Pervez Musharraf, Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz and Foreign Minister Khurshid Mehmood Kasuri, as well as parliamentarians and senior officials in Islamabad. This will be the Secretary-General's first visit to Pakistan after its reinstatement in the councils of the Commonwealth and will enable high level discussions on how Pakistan could once again fully participate in and contribute to Commonwealth activities in various fields. The Secretary-General will also discuss ways in which the Commonwealth can assist in strengthening democratic institutions in Pakistan and will be briefed on recent political developments. During his visit Mr McKinnon will give a talk on 'The Commonwealth in the 21st Century' at the Institute of Regional Studies in Islamabad.

The Secretary-General will then visit Singapore from 24 to 25 October 2004 where he will meet the new Prime Minister, Lee Hsien Loong and Foreign Minister George Yeo. Mr McKinnon will also address the 10th anniversary conference of the Commonwealth Association for Public Administration and Management (CAPAM).

On 26 and 27 October 2004 the Secretary-General will be in the Maldives, where he will discuss the Government's proposed constitutional reforms with President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom and Foreign Minister Fathulla Jameel. The Commonwealth has been asked by the Maldives Government to assist in its programme of democratic reforms.

Mr McKinnon will be in India on 28 and 29 October 2004, where he will meet Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, External Affairs Minister Natwar Singh and other leaders. The Secretary-General will also meet business leaders under the auspices of the Confederation of Indian Industry.

Note to Editors:

Media contact Mr Joel Kibazo, Director of Communications, on + 44 77 40 45 09 01.

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