Oleh/By		:	DATO' SERI DR. MAHATHIR BIN MOHAMAD 
Tempat/Venue 	: 	ISLAMABAD, PAKISTAN 
Tarikh/Date 	: 	15/02/93 
Tajuk/Title  	: 	BANQUET HOSTED BY THE PRIME 
			MINISTER OF PAKISTAN MUHAMMAD 
			NAWAZ SHARIF 




 Your Excellency Muhammad Nawaz Sharif,
     Prime Minister of Pakistan;
Begum Kalsoom,
Honourable Ministers,
Distinguished Guests;
Ladies and Gentlemen,
    On  behalf of my wife, the members of my delegation and
on my own behalf I wish to thank you and the  Government  of
Pakistan  for  the warm welcome and hospitality that we have
received since our arrival in your great country.
Honourable Prime Minister,
2.   But for a short spell, the relationship between our two
brotherly countries has always been warm and friendly.  I am
happy to note, in particular, that,  in  recent  years,  our
economic    relations   have   been   developing   steadily.
Malaysia's overall trade with Pakistan has expanded  in  the
last two years, averaging US$440 million in volume.  Of spe-
cial  importance  is  the  fact  that Pakistan is Malaysia's
largest single buyer of palm oil in this region.  This is  a
recent phenomenon following the decrease of soyabean oil im-
ports by Pakistan.
3.   In  1992,  a  Memorandum of Understanding was concluded
with Pakistan  to  provide  US$100  million  credit  to  buy
300,000  tonnes  of  palm oil from Malaysia.   The Malaysian
Palm Oil Promotion  Council  has  agreed  to  provide  2,200
square  feet  of  exhibition  space to exhibit products from
Pakistan in Kuala Lumpur for a period of two years.  Follow-
ing the successful visits of Ministerial and business deleg-
ations  from  Malaysia  last  year,  joint   ventures   with
Pakistani  partners  are  being  proposed to establish inte-
grated palm oil storage and refining complexes in  the  port
cities  of  Pakistan.    In the long term, we are looking to
Pakistan as a potential gateway to the palm oil  markets  in
Afghanistan   and   the   Central   Asian  Republics,  using
Pakistan's air, sea and road links with these states.  Mean-
while, we are also studying the possibility of our  national
airline, MAS, operating additional frequencies into Pakistan
and beyond to strengthen the air links between our two coun-
tries.
4.   We  have a modest technical cooperation programme which
enables developing countries to avail themselves of  assist-
ance  in  areas where we have some expertise.  There is much
our two countries can do for each other in sharing  what  we
do  best.  An important area of our cooperation, in this re-
spect, is the training received by students under Pakistan's
technical assistance programme  and  we  hope  to  see  this
programme  expanded,  especially to accommodate our require-
ment for medical training.
5.   Due to the rapid  development  of  our  industrial  and
plantation  sectors,  Malaysia  has been experiencing labour
shortages.  As a result a small number  of  Pakistanis  have
come  to  Malaysia  to  work.    We will continue to look to
Pakistan as an important source of human resources.
Honourable Prime Minister,
6.   Malaysia and Pakistan have worked together  in  support
of  each  other  on  many issues of common concern.   In the
United   Nations,   the   Non-Aligned   Movement   and   the
Organisation  of  Islamic  Conference, we have shared common
positions on such issues as the Environment and Development,
the Palestinian problem, the Iran-Iraq war, Apartheid,  Dis-
armament  and Antarctica.   On regional issues like Cambodia
and Afghanistan, we have been supportive of each other's po-
sition.  Malaysia was also especially pleased  to  host  the
CHOGM  in  which  Pakistan  returned  to the Commonwealth in
1989.  I would also like to take this opportunity to express
our appreciation for the very  effective  leadership  demon-
strated by Pakistan as the Chairman of the G-77.
7.   Pakistan  has  always played an important role in world
affairs.  As a member of the UN  Security  Council  at  this
critical  time in world affairs, Pakistan can do much to ad-
dress the new challenges that are being faced by  the  world
as  a  result of the end of the Cold War.  We share the con-
cern over actions taken by a few powerful countries to  pro-
mote  their  own  interests  without taking into account the
views of the international  community.    Instead  of  even-
handed  initiatives, we see UN mandates exploited for narrow
self-interest as in the case of the recent unjustifiable at-
tacks on Iraq, while the horrors of the situation in  Bosnia
remain unaddressed.
8.   Malaysia appreciates Pakistan's role in promoting peace
and  stability  in Afghanistan.  We sincerely hope that that
war-ravaged country will soon be able to  get  down  to  the
enormous  tasks of reconstruction and development that it is
faced with.
9.   We  hope  that  the  problem  of  Kashmir,  which   has
bedevilled  the  relationship between Pakistan and India for
over four decades, can be resolved amicably through peaceful
negotiations in accordance with United  Nations  Resolutions
and  the  Simla Accord.  Pakistan and India, working in tan-
dem, would be a catalyst for the advancement of the whole of
South Asia.
Honourable Prime Minister,
10.  We have followed with interest the development  of  the
Economic  Cooperation  Organisation  (ECO) in the South Asia
region.  With the inclusion of seven more countries of  Cen-
tral  Asia,  an  important  economic nexus has emerged which
will be crucial in guaranteeing the development and  stabil-
ity of this region.  We welcome closer collaboration between
ECO  and  SAARC (South Asian Association of Regional Cooper-
ation) with ASEAN.  To strive for greater unity and  cooper-
ation  among  developing  countries,  we  need to maintain a
dialogue among ourselves in order to promote solidarity,  to
strengthen  each other's efforts to advance ourselves and to
have a common response to the critical economic developments
that are taking place in the world, especially the emergence
of powerful trade blocs.
Honourable Prime Minister,
11.  Our  two  countries  have  always  enjoyed  close   and
brotherly  relations.    We  look forward to working closely
with you to further strengthen our  political  and  economic
relations, as well as enhancing our mutual efforts for world
peace and equality in international relations.