News
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Pakistan committed to working with US, says Mullen
* US military chief says both sides working to reduce trust deficit
WASHINGTON: Describing the US-Pakistan relationship as vital, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Admiral Mike Mullen, on Monday said he came away from last week’s meeting with Pakistani leaders convinced of their commitment to work with the US on security, intelligence and development.
Appearing on TV morning shows on the US Memorial Day, Mullen also drew American people’s attention to the difficult fight Pakistan is into and the sacrifices that the key South Asian country is making in the anti-terror struggle.
“It was a very frank meeting, it is a very difficult time and yet a very important relationship,” he said of the May 27 meeting that Mullen and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton had with the Pakistani political and military leadership in Islamabad. Mullen said Hillary and I went to Pakistan to “reaffirm the commitment on the part of the US to work with Pakistan” and to send a message about the importance of the US-Pakistan relationship.
The top US military officer said the two sides discussed the full range of concerns. “We were frank with them, and they were frank with us,” he added.
The admiral, who has made about two-dozen trips to Pakistan, said he has been working to overcome the ‘trust gap’ between the US and Pakistan. The US military raid in Abbottabad that killed al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, dealt a blow to those efforts.
“We had a big trust deficit, so we are working our way back through that. Certainly the recent raid put a significant dent in that progress, but both sides are continuing to commit to work our way through it because we both think it is a vital relationship,” he told CNN’s American Morning.
Mullen also said he heard from the Pakistani military leadership their continued commitment to look ahead and work with the US in dealing with terrorist threats.
“We think that is important. We have shared interests in terms of the terrorist threat that is there, in terms of dealing with a very difficult (Pakistan-Afghanistan) border and looking for a way ahead that will create a more peaceful and stable country,” he said.
The American people, he advocated, need to understand the tough fight Pakistan is having and the sacrifices they have rendered. The Pakistani military has had thousands killed and wounded in the battle against terrorists. In addition, terrorists have killed thousands of Pakistani civilians.
On the elimination of the al Qaeda chief, both sides agree bin Laden’s exit was a positive step, Mullen said.
Overall, al Qaeda is not the organisation it was 10 years ago when it struck the US on 9/11, he said. “They have been significantly reduced in terms of their overall ability, but they still plan and want to kill as many Americans and Westerners that they possibly can,” he said. “We need to make sure they cannot do that.” Mullen was quick to point out that the US has seen no evidence that Pakistan’s senior government leaders had any knowledge of bin Laden’s presence in Abbottabad.
American and Pakistani leaders do, however, believe the al Qaeda leader had a support network in the country.
“I think one of the most important parts of the meeting was the fact that Secretary Clinton and I both said we have seen no evidence of the senior leadership had any knowledge of Bin Laden’s presence there.” Pakistan is important to US and NATO efforts in Afghanistan, and the chairman said there is reason for hope in Afghanistan, despite a difficult fighting season ahead this summer. afp
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk