RAWALPINDI: Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto said here tonight [Sept 4] that the close and friendly relations between Pakistan and Sri Lanka were marked by deep mutual understanding and respect for each other. Speaking at a banquet given by him in honour of the visiting Sri Lanka Premier, Mrs Sirimavo Bandaranaike, Mr Bhutto said: `Since the dawn of their sovereign existence, Pakistan and Sri Lanka have extended to each other understanding, goodwill and co-operation.

Replying to Prime Minister Bhutto`s speech, Sri Lanka Prime Minister spoke of `very strong` bonds of friendship between her country and Pakistan and declared that the links that bind the two countries would be strengthened. `We in Sri Lanka cherish our close friendship with Pakistan`, she said. ...

Both Sri Lanka and Pakistan, Mr Bhutto said, believed in the peaceful settlement of international disputes and oppose the use or threat of force in international relations. He noted that the two countries were `partners` in the Colombo Plan which is recognised as a successful model of co-operation between the advanced and developing countries. ... The Pakistani people ... looked upon Sri Lanka as a `great country`. News agencies