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Clinton condoles

with Maleeha

WASHINGTON: In a special gesture, President Bill Clinton expressed his personal condolences to Ambassador Dr. Maleeha Lodhi on the death of her mother early Thursday morning.

Before the formal credentials presentation ceremony got underway, Clinton told the Pakistani ambassador how deeply sorry he was that she had lost her mother. "I wish you did not have to go through with this here today," he added. Lodhi thanked the President for his kind words and said, "These are personal tragedies but life must go on and we must do what we have to do."

The President nodded in sympathetic understanding.

Sandy Berger, head of the National Security Council, who was present, also conveyed his sincere sympathies to the Pakistani ambassador at her great loss. Bruce Riedel, another high US official, also condoled with the Pakistani envoy.

Present at the ceremony was ambassador Lodhi's son Faisal, a student at the University of Pennsylvania. President Clinton took time off to have a brief friendly chat with him. He asked Faisal about his studies and told him that one of Chelsea's closest girl friends was a student at the same university.

The President recalled that when Lodhi presented her credentials first time, she was accompanied by her mother, Mrs. Zohra Lodhi.

Later in the evening, the Ambassador, accompanied by some members of her family flew with her mother's body to London where she is to be laid to rest next to her husband T.A.T. Lodhi who died three years ago.ÑAPP