News
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Isolated incidents should not affect Pak-US ties
* President Zardari seeks Holbrooke’s help to secure access for Pakistani products in US market
ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari has said that Pakistan values a long term, multifaceted and durable relationship with the US and no isolated incident should impact this strengthening relation.
The president was talking to US Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan Richard Holbrooke who called on him at the Presidency on Saturday.
Holbrooke was accompanied by David Lipton, the under secretary of Treasury for International Affairs and other senior US officials. Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Finance Minister Abdul Hafeez Shaikh and Benazir Income Support Programme Chairperson Farzana Raja were also present in the meeting.
Briefing reporters, the president’s spokesman Farhatullah Babar said that Zardari appreciated the recent role by Holbrooke in raising the issue of Pakistanis on board the Turkish aid flotilla that was attacked in international waters by Israel.
The president said the timely intervention by Holbrooke greatly helped secure the safe release of Pakistanis on board the flotilla.
Issues taken up during the meeting included bilateral relations, the regional security situation, terrorism, the US-Pakistan strategic dialogue, reimbursement of Coalition Support Fund (CSF) arrears, drug trafficking and the strengthening of Pakistan’s law enforcing agencies.
President Zardari said militancy and terrorism were a common enemy of both nations and that the existing cooperation must continue to fight the menace. The president said the country paid a heavy price in terms of both human and material losses in fighting terrorists and it looked forward to international assistance to meet challenges.
Access: Zardari said the country needed trade and market access for its products in order to set its economy on the path of stability and prosperity.
Holbrooke reiterated the US long-term commitment to strategic partnership with Pakistan, saying the US administration was conscious of the need for creating economic opportunities for Pakistanis in their fight against militancy.
He vowed to strengthen bilateral ties, especially in areas of trade, economic growth and development.
Zardari said that defeating the extremists on ground was only a part of the battle, and complete success required that they changed the terrorist mindset through the creation and provision of opportunities to the people in conflict areas.
He said both countries needed to cooperate in order to give locals hope through the creation of jobs and other economic opportunities.
The president said the government had undertaken an elaborate programme for the rehabilitation and resettlement of the displaced persons at a cost of $2.5 billion. Zardari hoped that the Reconstruction Opportunity Zones (ROZs) legislation would be expedited.
The president also stressed the need for an early reimbursement of arrears with regards to the CSF of over $1.5 billion.
Holbrooke said that the government and the people of the US highly appreciated the sacrifices made by the people, the armed forces and other civilian law enforcement agencies of Pakistan in the war against terrorism.
He said the US would continue to support Pakistan and would provide all possible assistance in strengthening the democracy, security, socio-economic development and welfare of the people of the country. app
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk