Spokesperson Briefings

Date: 30/07/2007

Record of Press Briefing on 30 July 2007

Opening Statements

The Fourteenth Ministerial Meeting of ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) will take place on 2 August 2007 in Manila , the Philippines . The Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Makhdum Khusro Bakhtyar, will lead the Pakistan delegation to the meeting.

ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) was established in 1993. It is political and security arm of ASEAN. Sixteen other countries are members of ARF. This Forum provides a platform for dialogue and consultations on traditional and non-traditional security issues among member states.

Since our inclusion in the ARF process in 2004, we have been actively participating in this Forum's meetings. The Forum provides us an opportunity to associate ourselves closely with not only South East Asian States but also with some important global powers.

At the forthcoming ARF meeting, a wide range of security and important regional issues are likely to be discussed. The delegations will also exchange views on counter-terrorism, transnational crimes, promotion of inter-civilization dialogue and cooperation in Disaster Relief.

On the sidelines of the ARF Meeting, the Minister of State, Mr. Khusro Bakhtyar, will hold bilateral talks with the heads of delegation of other member countries on the issues of mutual interest.

Question/Answer Session

Asked, with reference to the adoption of a bill by the US Congress imposing conditionalities on economic assistance to Pakistan , if this could be regarded as a failure of Pakistan 's diplomacy, the Spokesperson said:

You would have seen our statement on the bill. As regards failure of diplomacy or foreign policy, diplomacy deals with real situations. It combines both maintaining a position of principle and also promoting national interest. Accordingly on this particular bill, Pakistan has taken a very clear position which should be well understood by the US Administration and Congress. Pakistan and the US agree that we must build a long-term strategic partnership which is not only in the interest of the two countries but also is vital for peace and security in this region. Diplomacy is an ongoing process. We will continue emphasize our position and will continue to engage both with the US Administration as well as members of Congress.

Asked, how she rated the Pakistan-US relations at this juncture and if this bill could jeopardize the second round of the Strategic dialogue between Pakistan and US, the Spokesperson said:

No, this has nothing to do with second round of Strategic Dialogue which as of now is likely to take place in the last quarter of this year. Obviously, there are positives in this relationship and there are things we may not be happy with or things the US may not be happy with, but this is a relationship which is important for both countries and as I said it is the stated objective of both countries to develop a durable, long term, multi faceted strategic relationship. It is not my job to rate bilateral relationships on a scale of 10. This is not done by Foreign Office officials.

Asked, for details of the President's meetings in UAE and Saudi Arabia , the Spokesperson said:

Well, I know what you are getting at. The President had meetings with leaders of the two countries. These are very important relationships and we have regular high level contacts. Bilateral relations were discussed. The leaders also reviewed the regional situation; they reviewed the situation in the Muslim countries, terrorism and other problems confronting the Muslim countries.

Asked, to elaborate on the aim of the President's visit to UAE and Abu Dhabi , the Spokesperson said:

I have already answered this question. I think I was clear enough.

Asked, for comments to the remarks given by the Indian Security Adviser regarding Pakistan in a recent interview and also to elaborate on Pakistan 's position to efforts made by some UN agencies to take Taiwan as an entity separate from China , the Spokesperson said:

First about the Indian Security Adviser, we understand he was responding to questions in a routine interview. This does not require any formal comment from our side. As regards the peace process, some progress has been made in the CBM and also in Kashmir related CBM. There has been no hiatus in the talks. The Interior Secretaries met earlier this month. The Commerce Secretaries are starting their meeting tomorrow under the fourth round of the Composite Dialogue. Our position remains that while CBMs are taking place, we also need to move towards settlement of outstanding issues which have created tension in this region and have led to conflicts and these issues particularly include the Jammu and Kashmir issue.

Regarding China, Pakistan has all along maintained its principled position of one China and that Taiwan is an integral and inalienable part of the People Republic of China which is the sole government representing the whole of China including Taiwan. Pakistan believes that Taiwan issue is an internal affair of People Republic of China . In the past Pakistan has opposed attempts to bring about the question of Taiwan in affiliated bodies of the UN. We will oppose any such attempts made in the future too.

When her comments were sought on the present situation in Afghanistan and the effect any possible pull out of US troops would have on the Afghan society and its impact on the quest of stabilizing Afghanistan and any possibility of US intervention against militants inside border areas of Pakistan , the Spokesperson said:

I think the latter part of your question has been answered clearly earlier. We have said that it is unacceptable to Pakistan . It would be counter productive and would be resented by the people of Pakistan . The basis of our cooperation with the US is that any action required to be taken inside Pakistan is to be undertaken by Pakistani armed forces.

As regards the impact on Afghanistan in the case of a possible pull out of US forces, that is hypothetical. I do not indulge in hypothetical discussions.

Asked, for comments regarding the resolution passed by the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs, which asked for strict action was in case of any US operation in North Waziristan and the concern expressed by many members of the Parliament asking for a restructuring of the Foreign Policy of Pakistan, the Spokesperson said:

Parliament is a sovereign body. It can express its views on any issue of foreign policy. I understand this resolution was adopted by the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee and the Parliament may also be discussing it. Again our position is very clear. Our efforts to counter terrorism, violence and extremism are in the national interest of Pakistan . The basis of our cooperation with NATO which includes the US as well on the international border with Afghanistan from where some crossings take place both ways, is that we do not allow our territory to be used for undesirable activities against any country. We continue to pursue that policy and our efforts would continue on the basis of that principle.

Asked, with regards to the US Ambassador to Pakistan 's diplomatic activities without having presented her credentials, if this was against normal diplomatic norms, the Spokesperson said:

It is a normal thing. Before presenting credentials, ambassadors make courtesy calls, undertake visits and interact with local personalities to familiarize themselves. There is no restriction. The norm is that they do not participate in formal talks and formal interactions before presenting their credentials. This goes for almost every country. However, every country has different procedures but if the ambassador is interacting with people there is nothing wrong with it and this does not violate any diplomatic norm.

Asked, for comments on the President meeting Benazir Bhutto during his visit to Abu Dhabi as the Chief of Protocol of the Foreign of Office accompanied him, the Spokesperson said:

No, I cannot comment on this.

Asked, if she could deny this meeting took place, the Spokesperson said:

No I cannot, it is not my domain.

Asked, for details concerning the agenda and expectations from the meeting of the Commerce Secretaries of Pakistan and India which was taking place tomorrow, the Spokesperson said:

It is a long agenda. I don't think you want me to go through it now. You will know the outcome when the discussions take place and when they have something concrete to report. What I can say is that the agenda encompasses all aspects of bilateral economic and trade relations and includes development of infrastructure, harmonization of customs procedures, new items for trade, optic fiber, export insurance, business visa facilitation, trade and services, opening of bank branches etc. The meeting on the 31st July and 1st August would be followed by meeting of the Joint Working Group on 2nd August. They Group will discuss non tariff barriers, multi layered and composite tariffs and facilitation of businessmen. We would certainly raise these issues. We want to have access to Indian market to increase our exports. For instance, we are very keen to export cement to India which at the moment is not possible because of certain conditionalities. It is perhaps too early to say anything about the outcome but all these issues would certainly be discussed.

Asked, for comments on Indian refusal to allow a Pakistani bank to open its branches in India on allegations of its involvement in terrorism in the light of her prior statement on increasing cooperation in the banking sector between Pakistan and India , the Spokesperson said:

All these issues will be discussed.

Asked, with regards to the recent US Congressional Bill making US aid to Pakistan conditional, if this did not bring to mind the Pressler Amendment and also that at that time Pakistan did not have much choice and if that scenario could be repeated now, the Spokesperson said:

If you are talking about the bill, it does not exactly impose sanctions on Pakistan . There are some provisions which seek reporting from the US Administration. We have seen the kind of damage the Pressler Amendment did to Pakistan-US relations. The US intelligentsia and political analysts recognize that sanctions had been counter productive and we also see that there is expressed determination that the US would not repeat such a policy. However, the bill does remind us of the Pressler Amendment and if this happens it will not only be harmful to Pakistan but will also undermine the US interest.

Asked, if Pakistan sought nuclear cooperation from Australia as it had been reported that Australia had refused, the Spokesperson said:

No we did not seek such cooperation with Australia . So there is no question of refusal.

Asked, with reference to a statement given by the Governor of Kandhar that the Afghan Government had given sanctuary to some Baloch leaders, who in Pakistan 's view were responsible for the turmoil in Balochistan and if Pakistan was seeking to extradite them and what was the response, the Spokesperson said:

It is not Baloch leaders. Yes there may be some BLA militants and terrorists hiding in various countries. When we say we are fighting terrorism, it applies to all types of terrorism. You cannot be selective in that. Of course, we raise this issue with the Afghan Government who say that they do not think any BLA militants are present in Afghanistan .

Asked, to elaborate on her prior comments that the recent US bill would undermine Pakistan-US relations, the Spokesperson said:

I think I was very clear. Please refer to our statement as well. I have already answered your question when I said we are fighting terrorism and countering violence within our borders in our own national interest and we would continue to do it.

Asked, if the media reports stating that foreign ambassadors had been told not to visit markets of the twin cities because of security concerns were true, the Spokesperson said:

I have no information about this. The Ministry of Interior may have issued some security advice.

Asked, if Pakistan being a front line ally in the war against terrorism was sacrificing more than it was gaining and that it had contributed to the law and order situation in the country, if the Government was rethinking its policy especially if US conditionalizes its aid to Pakistan , the Spokesperson said:

We are part of the international effort to combat terrorism not war. The difference between the two is that we do not believe we can eradicate terrorism through military means alone. We believe in a comprehensive strategy. As regards the question, this is the third time this question is being asked. I have answered it.

Asked, with regards the much talk about Pakistan ending cooperation with the US in countering terrorism, if it was realistic to believe that this was an option as under the UNSC resolution all member states of the UN were bound to cooperate, the Spokesperson said:

This is the same question. I have already answered it.

Asked, to clarify with regards to media reports alleging that Pakistan was assisting Saudi Arabia to manufacture a nuclear device, the Spokesperson said:

I do not know if Saudi Arabia even has a nuclear program but this allegation is absolutely baseless and ridiculous. It is not a news report that deserves any comment or response.

Asked, that in her earlier comments she had referred to the recent US act as being a bill, if that meant Pakistan was working to get it vetoed, and also that the Indian National Security Adviser had said that the peace process had slowed down, why both sides were not making any efforts to accelerate it when they acknowledged that it had slowed, and if there was a special reason for lack of progress in the CBMs since the fourth round of the Composite Dialogue started, the Spokesperson said:

I did not say it was an act. I said it was a bill. I referred to it as legislation and then I corrected myself because technically it is a bill till the President signs it. We will continue to emphasize our point of view to the US . It is for the US Administration to see how they can and if they want to modify this bill.

As regards slowing down of the Peace Process, we have always said, we would like to see the two countries move from conflict management to conflict resolution. We would like to see the two countries take advantage of the improved environment to start the process of conflict resolution. We have expressed our willingness to move forward and expedite resolution of issues. The delay is not on our side. We have been ready to settle the Siachin issue for a long time. On other issues too Pakistan is ready to move forward.

Asked, if there was any hope of Pakistan and India reopening their consulates in Mumbai and Karachi , the Spokesperson said:

This is not just a hope. There is a decision to reopen them simultaneously. We are looking for a suitable accommodation in Mumbai.

Asked, if she did not think it was time to review the counter-terrorism policy in light of what had been happening in the country lately, the Spokesperson said:

I have said we are doing it our national interest. We have had suicide attacks in the country including two in the capital. We have to fight it. We have a comprehensive approach for dealing with it. We do not believe that military action alone can resolve this. We want to develop the under developed areas. We want job opportunities. We want education opportunities and political participation. This is a comprehensive strategy we are pursuing in our own national interest.