France and the European Union on Wednesday offered Pakistan help in investigating the martyrdom of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto, French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said.
Bernard Kouchner, the first high-ranking foreign official to visit Pakistan since the assassination of Benazir at election rally last week, met President Pervez Musharraf to offer the help of France and the 27-nation EU block.
Though the government officials of Pakistan have rejected calls for an international investigation into her murder but have left the door open for assistance conducted from outside the country.
“Today we proposed to President Musharraf to provide French or European experts, Mr Musharraf responded that the idea was interesting.”
- Bernard Kouchner
The minister also delivered a letter from French President Nicolas Sarkozy which he said expressed his country’s solidarity with Pakistan in the wake of the “horrible crime”.
He said the letter also underlined Sarkozy’s “support for what must be democratic efforts in the continuation of the election process as well as the fight against terrorism and extremism”. Musharraf quickly read the letter and told Kouchner: “I totally agree with this.”
The minister was to meet officials from Benazir’s party later in the day and pay his respects at the site where she was killed last Thursday.