The two states have no diplomatic ties, and their officials rarely meet. But Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf and Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak saw each other by chance at the Hotel Raphael in Paris on January 22, where they both were staying, the officials said. They then held a scheduled 20-minute meeting the following day, the officials said.Barak and Musharraf discussed the possibility that Iran would develop nuclear weapons, the Israeli officials said. Iran and Israel are bitter enemies, and Israel — along with the US and much of the international community—- is concerned that Iran’s nuclear programme is designed to produce weapons. Iran claims it intends to produce energy.Nuclear-armed Pakistan, which has close political and economic ties with Iran, has repeatedly said Iran has a right to develop nuclear technology for peaceful purposes and that the issue of Iran’s nuclear plans must be resolved by diplomatic means.At the meeting, Barak also expressed concern that instability in Pakistan could put the country’s nuclear arsenal in the hands of Muslim extremists, but Musharraf assured Barak that Pakistan’s nuclear weapons were safe, the officials said.In Jerusalem, Barak spokesman Ronen Moshe would not comment. In Islamabad, Foreign Ministry spokesman Mohammed Sadiq said Musharraf had a “chance” meeting with Barak in Paris.“The President was leaving and the Defence Minister of Israel entered the hotel lobby and it was a chance meeting,” Sadiq told The Associated Press. Pakistan is the only Muslim nuclear power. Israel will not confirm or deny that it is a nuclear power, but is widely reported to have the world’s sixth-largest stockpile of nuclear weapons.Meanwhile, in London, Musharraf held talks with Prime Minister Gordon Brown, a significant last stop on his European tour to shore up Western support for his creaking regime. Home to one of the largest Pakistani communities outside of Pakistan, Britain has a stake in the troubled country’s future. Many of the recent terror plots in Britain have led back to Pakistan’s militants, and cooperation is crucial to pending terror investigations.Musharraf says he offers the best hope for tackling extremism that has spread from his country’s lawless tribal lands, and he has promised that elections will be held next month. His critics say his grip on nuclear-armed Pakistan is slipping, citing political turmoil, a growing militant insurgency and December’s assassination of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto.Activists — including Imran Khan - are protesting the former army general’s arrival at Brown’s 10 Downing Street office for talks. Other protesters from Bhutto’s Pakistan Peoples Party were also lining the streets.
