Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf has said Pakistan has a principled stand on the expansion of UN Security Council and does not contribute to the idea of increase in its permanent members as it is against democratic basis of sovereign equality of nations.

"We feel that increasing the number of permanent members of theUN Security Council is against the democratic considerations of the sovereign equality of nations," he was quoted by Monday's local English-language newspaper Dawn after holding talks with visiting German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder.

He said the government and the people of Pakistan hold Germany and Chancellor Schroeder in highest esteem and stated that the Chancellor understands that Pakistan has a principled position on the issue of enlargement of UN Security Council.

Musharraf informed the visiting German leader that Pakistan is resolved to address the menace of terrorism in both its immediate and strategic long-term perspectives.

Pakistan, he said, is for addressing the core disputes, which lead to terrorism in addition to taking actions against terrorists.

In response to a question, Musharraf said Al-Qadea Chief Osama bin Laden is alive and hiding somewhere. However, he added nothing could be said in certain terms about his exact location.

Osama is on the move so nobody can lay exact timeframe for tracking him down, he said.

Schroeder arrived Sunday in Islamabad for a two-day visit after he paid an official visit to India.

Source: Xinhua