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Date: 13/04/2009    

JOINT PRESS STAKEOUT BY FOREIGN MINISTER MAKHDOOM SHAH MAHMOOD QURESHI AND CHAIRMAN US SENATE FOREIGN RELATIONS COMMITTEE JOHN KERRY IN ISLAMABAD ON 13 APRIL 2009

Foreign Minister Qureshi's statement

I welcome Senator John Kerry, Chairman of Foreign Relations Committee, in the Foreign Office. We had two very fruitful interactions; one in the Presidency and one here in the Foreign Office. I would like to add that we had quite a number of friends in the Senate but Senator Kerry has demonstrated his fondness for Pakistan , his commitment to help and assist Pakistan by associating himself to the Bill that will triple economic assistance to Pakistan . I say this because I have had the pleasure of interacting with him for quite a while now and I have heard him speak for Pakistan on different platforms and on different occasions.

We had a good discussion on the way forward. As you know the new policy has been announced and now we have to look at the ways of implementing that policy. I shared with Senator Kerry the desire of the Government of Pakistan to build a national consensus and to build and evolve a national strategy to deal with economic challenges that Pakistan is facing, to deal with security challenges. I shared the process that was put into place from the Parliament to the Special Committee and from the Committee recommendations being sent to the Parliament and now hopefully putting an action plan in place. Hopefully when I visit Washington early next month, I will get an opportunity to discuss that action plan with the Executive Branch and with legislators on the Hill.

As I mentioned last time, we are friends and we are allies and we can also disagree but we have to put in place a mechanism for bridging gaps. What we have resolved is that if there is a gap, we will bridge that gap by talking to each other, by sharing our concerns with each other.

We also discussed how we can attract the corporate sector; how we can make Pakistan more attractive for the corporate sector to come and help us rebuild our economic growth which has come under challenge for a while. We also discussed about Friends of Democratic Pakistan meeting and the donors conference to be held in Tokyo .

In short it was a useful and productive interaction. I must say, with Senator Kerry, it had to be. I see no other way. He is so positive towards Pakistan . Thank you.

Statement by Senator John Kerry

I thank you for the generous words and also for the privilege for being with you here today.

We have had very positive meetings with the President, the Prime Minister and the Foreign Minister this afternoon. We discussed, as the Foreign Minister pointed out, a wide range of issues that are important to the people of Pakistan and to the people of the United States and in fact to the people globally.

I had the privilege of being here in February 2008 when Pakistan 's democracy took a huge step forward. I know for sure that President Obama respects and admires the efforts that have been made to move forward in the way of democracy here in Pakistan under difficult circumstances. I am personally confident that the Government of Pakistan is committed to addressing the threat that is posed by militants and by extremism. It is something that is not special to Pakistan ; it is a challenge for all of us these days. We look forward to continuing to work with this Government and with its efforts.

I am here today to discuss the new way forward in our relationship which should not be defined by extremism or by response to militancy. We are all facing economic challenges. We are all facing challenges to universal humanitarian principles and some of those challenges are particularly felt by the people of Pakistan . It is important for us to work together in tackling these challenges and in improving the lives of ordinary Pakistanis. In the long run, the strength of our relationship, I believe, would be defined by our ability to meet those challenges more than any other.

I would like to emphasize that we in the United States do not look at Pakistan in the way that some people in the press are trying to characterize it. We view Pakistan as a friend and an ally and as a place where people are working hard in order to fulfill their lives' ambitions and dreams for their families and for themselves. American people are concerned about the welfare of the people of Pakistan .

The Pakistani people are facing high levels of inflation especially due to rising food prices; they are facing electricity and water shortages as are people in other parts of the world. That is why Senator Lugar and I will be introducing the Kerry-Lugar Bill in the United States Congress when I return. In this Bill, we will try to focus how we really should define this relationship. A relationship that will triple non-military assistance to the people of Pakistan to 1.5 billion dollars a year for 10 years. The focus of this bill is to really make clear to the people of Pakistan that they are the centre of our policy. This means that we want to help build schools, build roads, infrastructure, health clinics, and most of all create jobs. One area that I understand is particularly important is the energy sector. It is important for all of us as we will have a major conference in Copenhagen at the end of this year on this issue. I have heard in my meetings today that the impact of the energy shortages on the lives of the people of Pakistan . We are looking at some innovative programmes to try to produce energy in an environmentally sustainable manner and I look forward to continuing these discussions and these efforts with your Government. The Bill that I am talking about has the full support of President Obama, Vice President Joe Biden and Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton. We hope that it is a clear signal that the United States values our relationship with Pakistan and we seek long-term relationship not with a single government but with the people of Pakistan .

We are fully committed to the people of Pakistan and to the civilian Government and to the democracy that represents them. Thank you.

Question-Answer Session

Q: A few months back, British Foreign Secretary David Miliband, while on a visit to India , made an assessment about the militarism and extremism in this region. He talked about a comprehensive approach to address these issues which included the need to resolve the Kashmir issue? Do you support his assessment?

A: Senator Kerry: I have great respect for Foreign Secretary Miliband but I am not sure what the context was. As you know our Special Envoy Ambassador Holbrooke is an envoy to Pakistan and Afghanistan and not to India . India has not been included in the regional approach with respect to Kashmir or otherwise. That is a separate issue to be resolved, in the judgement of our government, separately. With respect to the issues of extremism and militancy, we all are experiencing this issue and it is not special just to Pakistan . There are extremists in Europe, the United States , in Asia and in Africa . The disenfranchisement of the citizens or their inability to get jobs drives them to militancy of one kind or another. In some cases it has a religious definition and in some places some new ideology. The bottom line is that in all cases it runs counter to diversity, pluralism, respect and tolerance that is at the centre of democracy. You have a powerful and strong democracy and that is the strength of Pakistan .

Q: You talked about commitment of Senator Kerry towards Pakistan . Why this commitment is conditional?

A: Foreign Minister Qureshi: It is too early to comment on the issue of conditionalities. Nothing is confirmed yet. The idea is to support Pakistan and not to micro manage Pakistan . I may add with regards to the first question, the world wants Pakistan to focus on the western border because extremism and terrorism has to be dealt with. But that focus is disturbed if we do not have a calm eastern border.

Senator Kerry: I may add that there is a difference between the US House of Representatives' Bill and US Senate Bill. Any bill which is related to economic assistance has to meet some measurements and those are not conditionalities. Those are measurements of the effectiveness of any project.

Q: The justification given by the US on drone attacks is that there are tactical gains and that those are directed towards high value targets. Can you name some of those targets which have so far been brought down?

A: Senator Kerry: This is not the appropriate place for names of any targets. What I am trying to define is the way in which our relationship should be carried forward. This, I believe, is an important step. In the past our relationship had been defined in context of contacts between individuals and specific governments. But now we are working on a plan that is beneficial for the people of Pakistan . We need to make sure that we move forward in that way. With regards to drone attacks, we need to find ways that nobody suffers. I pledge to you that we will continue reviewing that.

Q: There has been a lot of criticism from the United States on ISI. Do you differentiate between Pakistan Army and the ISI?

A: Senator Kerry: I have had an excellent meeting with General Pasha today. I am looking forward to have a continuing cooperative effort with him. I think he and your Government is making enormous efforts to guarantee the absolute cooperation and accountability of the intelligence efforts in this country.

Q: What's wrong with attaching conditions to the economic assistance if those ensure best utilization of funds?

A: Foreign Minister Qureshi: As I stated earlier let's not get too excited about conditionalities at this stage. It's too premature. Things are being debated and being discussed. Pakistan will give its constructive opinion in Washington .

Q: Drone attacks are creating resentment among the people of Pakistan and are a source of fanning militancy. Why can't they be stopped?

A: Senator Kerry: As I said earlier that I am here to learn. I heard complaints of the people of Pakistan regarding these drone attacks. I will report those back to Washington and I am confident that people there will review it carefully and make the best judgments they can with respect to our mutual security.

Q: How would US convince Pakistan for a greater role for India in Afghanistan without addressing Pakistan 's concerns about India ?

A: Senator Kerry: With respect to India 's role in the region and Pakistan 's concerns on it, it seems to me that the two countries spend a large amount of their resources and energies on their mutual suspicion. I believe, in the long run there are larger interests on which our energies ought to be expended. Pakistan and India need to get back to the confidence that started to develop between them before the Mumbai terrorist incident. I am confident that in a few months time that will be achieved. In my view, if that is achieved then the concept of India 's help in Afghanistan will be less threatening. I am very aware of the history and of the mutual concerns that exist in terms of security and obviously there are unresolved issues. I am confident that with good intentions and with good efforts with all the parties concerned including the United States and allies, we can find a new way forward in terms of India-Pakistan relations.

Q: How would you convince the people of Pakistan that they should accept drone attacks in return for your economic package?

A: Senator Kerry: As I said earlier, I have listened to the complaints of the people of Pakistan and I fully understand those. I intend to talk to people in Washington when I return there.

Q: Senator Kerry: Islamabad has been a recent target of terrorists and they have vowed to carry out more attacks in Islamabad if drone attacks are not stopped. Can't you stop the drone attacks to save the innocent people of this country from these terrorist attacks?

A: I say it again: I have heard voice of the people of Pakistan loudly and clearly. But at the same time you must be aware that extremist-religious-radical terror did not begin after the drone attacks. It is, therefore, important for people to focus on that reality. We need to deal with the issues intelligently and I am confident that people, under very difficult circumstances, are working towards that end.

Q: Senator Kerry: There is a strong perception in Pakistan that US is funding terrorist activities in Pakistan especially in Balochistan. What are your comments on this?

A: I do not have any thing to say in this regard.

Q: Senator Kerry: There is a school of thought in Pakistan that believes that like past the US will walk away from the region and that Pakistan will be left alone to deal with issues at its own. What do you say about this?

A: I have heard this point of view over the years, even before coming here. The United States understands its commitments. This is a larger issue and we have a larger commitment. This I can guarantee. And that is why we are talking about a 10 years commitment in the Kerry-Lugar Bill. I want to emphasize that there is no US solution to the problem. People of Pakistan will have to decide and we will help them. Democracy in Pakistan was brought by the people of Pakistan . What we will do is to help the people and that is our long term commitment.

Q: Senator Kerry: Why does US not ask India to stop financing insurgency activities in Balochistan?

A: We have to stop pointing fingers at each other as that will not take us anywhere. That is not a way to succeed. Both India and Pakistan have vibrant and resilient democracies. We are committed with both countries for a bright future for the region. It is important for us to stay focused and work for a better future.