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Thursday, July 01, 2010
US striving to regain Pakistan’s trust: Mullen* Top US commander says trust deficit can’t be bridged overnight
* Acknowledges that Pakistan makes extraordinary efforts to ensure safety of nuclear assetsWASHINGTON: The US is working hard to regain Pakistan’s trust following years of estrangement in the pre-9/11 period, but the effort is going to take time, America’s top military officer said on Wednesday.
“It’s not going to happen overnight,” Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, said of regaining the Pakistanis’ trust.
At the same time, he added in an interview at the Aspen Security Forum, Colorado, “I’ve seen significant commitments in the whole of the (US) government.” He also acknowledged that Pakistan makes extraordinary efforts to ensure the safety of its prized nuclear assets. Mullen argued that according to the Pentagon strong relations with Pakistan are important to root out terrorism in Afghanistan and Pakistan that threatens the US. “We agree that Afghanistan needs to be stable and peaceful. How we get there, and the long-term commitment is critical. That’s a huge part of the engagement strategy with Pakistan, “ he said.
The strategy of the US and NATO in Afghanistan is to dismantle the al Qaeda leadership to make the group ineffective.
Residence: “And the al Qaeda leadership resides in Pakistan,” Mullen claimed.
Improving US-Pakistan relations that ebbed sharply in the 1990s – in the wake of the Soviet pullout from Afghanistan – is also important in light of Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal, Mullen noted. “These are the most important weapons in the Pakistani arsenal. That is understood by the leadership and they make extraordinary efforts to protect and secure them. These are their crown jewels. As much as we’re focused on this (terrorism) threat (on the western border) and the Pakistanis are more than they used to be, they see a threat in India and (having nuclear weapons) is their deterrent. They see this as a huge part of their national security,” he added. app
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk