News
Monday, October 25, 2010
Pakistan negotiating with US on its own terms: FM
* Qureshi says Pak-US dialogue was successful, will bring prosperity in country
* Pakistan fully qualifies for civil nuclear technology transfer from US
* Will follow its own strategy in NWA
* Kashmir was on agenda during strategic dialogue
LAHORE: Pakistan has provided a new perspective to its relations with the US and today it is not just accepting but also making the US accept its terms, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said during a press conference on Sunday after his return from the US.
The FM clarified that the recently announced funds for Pakistan were neither loan nor debt, but a grant that would be provided for education, health and other public sectors from the US taxpayers’ money.
He said the US had awarded a five-year $7.5 billion economic assistance programme for the development of Pakistan’s economic sector along with a five-year security assistance programme to assist it in the war against terrorism.
About the recently concluded strategic dialogue, Qureshi said Pakistan had made the parleys meaningful and achieved many positives. He said US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton had agreed that today Pakistan was the most important partner in the war against terrorism.
Prosperity: The FM called the Pak-US Strategic Dialogue “very successful” and said it would bring prosperity in the country, adding that it was the result of this dialogue that US President Barack Obama had assured Pakistan of his visit to the country in 2011.
He said this third ministerial meeting had taken place between the two countries only within eight months, adding that the achievements of the democratic government had no match. He added that the next round of these strategic talks would be held in Islamabad next year in which the American officials would take part. Qureshi said his democratic government wanted to make the strategic dialogue a meaningful exercise as earlier the efforts had been made on papers only. He said for the first time in history of Pakistan, the government had done its homework to discuss 13 sectors with the US besides terrorism and security. The other sectors which were discussed for the first time included health, education, agriculture, energy crises and others relating to the common man.
About the progress of his meetings with American officials, the foreign minister said now the areas had been identified for Pakistan’s needs toward US assistance and soon the nation would yield fruitful results of the government’s efforts.
Nuclear technology: While quoting Pakistan’s urgent energy requirements, he said Pakistan had 35 years of experience with no unpleasant incident ever regarding its nuclear technology, which qualifies the nation for a civil nuclear technology transfer from the US. “Pakistan has the technology as well as technicians and can run a civil nuclear programme efficiently,” he added. To a question about a military operation in North Waziristan, Qureshi said Pakistan’s armed forces had taken effective measures in the tribal belts and its security agencies were advancing in a systemic way in the area, adding that around 34,000 troops had been deployed there.
Own strategy: He said Pakistan would deal with a key Taliban sanctuary along the Afghan border on its own timeline despite increasing US pressure to move swiftly to help turn around the war in Afghanistan. “We have our own priorities. We have our own sense of timing,” said Qureshi when asked by reporters about US pressure to launch an offensive against Taliban in North Waziristan, who regularly attack foreign troops in Afghanistan.
To a query on Afghanistan, he said, “As far as Afghanistan is concerned, Pakistan and the US have convergence of interests and both want a peaceful and stable Afghanistan.” When asked about Kashmir, he said the issue was on the agenda during the strategic dialogue, adding that Pakistan made the US realise that viable peace was not possible in the region without resolution of the Kashmir issue. He said Pakistan wanted cordial relations with India and resolution of the Kashmir issue was also in India’s interest. staff report/agencies
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk