Spokesman Briefings
Date: 21/11/2007
Record of Press Briefing on 21 November, 2007
Opening Statement I Middle East Peace Conference
Pakistan has received an invitation from the United States today to attend the Middle East Conference which will be held in Annapolis , Maryland on 27 November. Pakistan welcomes any proposals that would bring peace and stability to the Middle East and could resolve the core issue of Palestine that has caused instability, suffering and conflict in the region for last several decades.
Opening Statement II
Pakistan and Commonwealth Summit
The British Prime Minister, Gordon Brown telephoned Prime Minister Mohammadmian Soomro last night. The Prime Minister briefed his British counterpart about the political developments in Pakistan and the principal mandate of the Caretaker Government to hold elections which have been scheduled from 8 January 2008 . The Prime Minister reaffirmed that the elections will be free, fair and transparent. He said election observers from abroad are welcome.
The two Prime Ministers also exchanged views on the forthcoming Commonwealth Head of Government Meeting (CHOGM). Earlier the Prime Minister had sent letters to the Heads of Government of CMAG countries, including the United Kingdom , underlining that the political situation in Pakistan was returning to normalcy. The letter further stated that the Supreme Court is expected to give verdicts shortly on some of the relevant issues including notification of the results of the Presidential elections. The President has already stated that he would give up the uniform before taking oath of office.
The Prime Minister informed Gordon Brown that while Emergency is imposed in the country at present, everything is being done in the spirit of the Constitution and all steps taken by the Government are consistent with Constitutional provisions.
Prime Minister Mohammadmian Soomro expressed concern that any precipitate decision by CMAG on Pakistan 's participation in the Commonwealth would be unfortunate. Instead, CMAG should have a short postponment of the decision and immediately send a delegation to Pakistan to look at the situation in the country. Such a step would be in the interest of both Pakistan and the Commonwealth as we value our relations with the organization.
Earlier the Prime Minister had spoken to Commonwealth Secretary General Don McKinnon suggesting a visit of Commonwealth delegation.
Moreover, Foreign Minister Inam ul Haque had called the Commonwealth Heads of Mission in Islamabad to convey a similar message. The Foreign Minister also spoke on the telephone with the Secretary General Commonwealth , the Foreign Minister of Malta who chairs CMAG, the Canadian Foreign Minister, the Malaysian Foreign Minister and the UK Minister for Asia, Africa and the UN.
Question/Answer Session
Q: How hopeful is Pakistan that it won't be suspended from the Commonwealth and if suspended what in concrete terms would be the implications for Pakistan ? Who will represent Pakistan in the Summit .
A: We don't know what will be the CMAG's decision. As I said in my opening statement we value our relationship with the Commonwealth. It is difficult to put a figure on what we stand to lose in concrete terms. Commonwealth is a diplomatic forum where we are able to interact with other countries and that is the biggest advantage of the organization. In addition, they offer some scholarships in the educational field. A decision on Pakistan 's participation in the Commonwealth Summit will be taken after CMAG's meeting tomorrow morning.
Q: There are political insinuations after Negroponte's visit that US would cut off aid to Pakistan unless emergency is lifted. What are your comments on this?
A: I think all of you had heard Negroponte's statement. I didn't see any such reference in the statement.
Q: There is mixed reaction by Kashmiri leaders to the Northern Area Administrative Package announced by President Musharraf. How do you view their reaction?
A: The Northern Area Administrative Package was adopted after due deliberation by the Government of Pakistan. The package is self explanatory in dealing with its administrative arrangements and its relationship with the Federal Government. The package was adopted in response to a demand by the people of the Northern Area and it shows that the Government of Pakistan is sensitive to the desires of people of the area. The package has changed the administrative arrangements but it does not change the status of Jammu & Kashmir and Northern Areas which is determined by the UN Security Council Resolutions.
Q: With respect to your opening statement where you said that whatever steps are being taken by the governments are in accordance with the Constitution and also with reference to President Musharraf's ideology of Enlightened Moderation, how does the Ministry of Foreign Affairs view the recent violence against the media?
A: Please note that I speak on foreign policy issues. Media situation is a domestic issue. I will much appreciate if this forum is not used to make statements. When I said the Prime Minister said something to a foreign leader I am reporting an event as it happened. As regards the media, various government representatives have said that they were concerned about the situation. This is an unpleasant situation for everyone but it is being addressed and results are showing. I would however like to highlight the positives too. The print media has remained free and most TV channels are back on air. So we shouldn't try to create a totally negative scenario. We need to note the positives too.
Q: What are the reactions from other countries to the situation in Pakistan ?
A: You have seen the reactions from some of our friends. We are asking our friends abroad to understand the gravity of the situation and pay attention to the steps taken by the Government for transition to full democracy.
Q: In his conversation with the British Prime Minister did Mr. Soomro give any date by which the President will remove his uniform because there have been reports that it may be by this weekend?
A: I think you are referring to the statement by the Attorney General on date of taking off uniform. There wasn't any date mentioned in the telephone call.
Q: The Indian Defense Minister said that trekking expeditions to Siachin won't affect the Composite Dialogue. What are your comments on this?
A: We hope that India won't take steps which would vitiate the atmosphere for the Composite Dialogue. We further hope that India wouldn't send trekking trips to Siachin because this is a disputed territory and such steps can vitiate atmosphere for the peace process.
Q: When and where will the SAARC Ministerial Conference be held?
A: It will be held on 7th and 8th December in New Delhi . The Conference will be preceded by the Programming Committee meeting on 3-4 December, and the meeting of the Standing Committee on 5-6 December and finally the Ministerial Conference on 7-8 December.
Q: When will the next meeting of IPI be held? There was a media report on it which said there will be a meeting between Pakistan and Iran next week, will India be attending that meeting?
A: We have seen the report which quotes the Iranian Embassy. As for my information, India is not a part of the talks at the moment.
Q: Who will represent Pakistan at the SAARC Ministerial Meeting, the Middle East Conference and the Commonwealth Summit?
A: Decision about the Commonwealth will be taken after the CMAG decision which is meeting at breakfast tomorrow. We just got invitation for the Middle East Conference: A decision on participation and representation level will be taken shortly. The Foreign Minister will attend the SAARC Council of Ministers Session in New Delhi .
Q: Times of India reported that US has already gotten control of the nuclear assets of Pakistan . What are your comments and what is the present level of cooperation between Pakistan and US in this regard?
A: They wish! We issued a statement on the New York Times report. Pakistan has developed indigenous command control and security system and there are no foreigners involved in it. Pakistan is looking at good practices on nuclear security and safety and as part of that we are cooperating with the US which involves basic training and rudimentary equipment. The idea is that nuclear material shouldn't get out of the country so we are monitoring all the ports and other exit points. Cooperation with the US doesn't involve the actual assets. These assets are totally safe and secure and in our own control.
Q: The New York Times mentioned a very advanced cooperation totaling an assistance of $100 million.
A: The New York Times report is exaggerated. There is a lot of sensationalism involved in that story. We have issued a statement on the level of cooperation a couple of days ago that gives the factual position.
Q: There is a program to monitor cargo from Pakistani ports to the US . Can you give us details on that?
A: I don't have information on it. I will look into it and share the information with you.
Q: Can you give us details of President Musharraf's visit to Saudi Arabia ?
A: The President met Khadim Al-Harmain Al-Sharifain and other senior officials and discussed issues of mutual interest. He also discussed the Middle East situation and Afghanistan .
Q: Did the President discuss Nawaz Sharif?
A: No, I am not aware of any such discussion.
Q: Regarding nuclear safety aren't your statements contradictory because on the one hand you talked about the multi layer Control and Command system while on the other hand we get security cooperation with the US on basic equipment and training. Can you clarify this?
A: There are several layers of security. At every layer, different training, different equipment and different best practices are employed all over the world. Even advanced countries cooperate with each other on the nuclear safety issue. As it is a very important area of our national interest, every effort is taken to keep the assets secure and safe. I don't think there is any contradiction that we have basic equipment to monitor, say, our ports on one hand and have an advanced multi layered command and control system on the other. Rather it proves that we have extensive security at all layers.
Q: What type of security measures have been assigned to the US ?
A: No security measures have been assigned to US. All the security measures are undertaken by Pakistan . No other country is taking any measure in Pakistan regarding its nuclear assets.
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