Islamabad: Pakistan Prime Minister Zafarullah Jamali has said he may meet his Indian counterpart Atal Behari Vajpayee on the sidelines of annual United Nations General Assembly meeting in New York in September, 'The Nation' reported on July 24.

"This will clear up roadblocks on the way to durable peace between the two countries," he said in a two- hour long interview with the paper.

He said he had no reservations about meeting Vajpayee anywhere in the world.

It was rumoured before that neither Jamali nor Vajpayee would meet early January during the South Asian Association for Regional Co-operation (SAARC) Summit to be held in Islamabad from January 4 to 6, 2004.

Rejecting Indian Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani's view that New Delhi would hold talks with President Pervez Musharraf "since he is politically and administratively the most powerful individual in Pakistan", Jamali said, "In democracies, dialogues are held between Prime Ministers.

"I know my constitutional parameters and my limitations, but I want this system to continue. I believe in democracy," he said, adding that the forthcoming summit between the two countries could help move the peace process forward.

Defending Musharraf, Jamali said, "Musharraf has fulfilled all promises he made during the last three and a half years.

"Musharraf will also fulfil his promise to leave one post, once this transition period is over." The Pakistani President is also the country's Army chief.

Agreeing to the general impression that President was "all encompassing" in the current system, he said, "It has been happening in the past when the country limped back from military rule to civilian set up."

Denying there was any pressure on him from Musharraf, Jamali said, "I feel under pressure from the Opposition." He further said he would continue to run the government "for the sake of the country".

"I could not deliver as much as the people were expecting from me, but I would continue to strive for the betterment of the people," he added.

The interview assumes significance in the wake of reports that Musharraf is keen to reassert his authority by effecting changes in the administration and the defence establishment.

ANI