SSpokesperson Briefings
Date: 08/01/2007
TRANSCRIPT OF THE PRESS BRIEFING ON 08 JANUARY 2007
Opening statement
• Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs' visit to Pakistan :
Mr. Peter Gordon MacKay, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Canada, will be arriving in Islamabad later today for a two-day visit to Pakistan . There will be an exchange of views on various aspects of bilateral relations between Foreign Minister M. Kasuri and Foreign Minister MacKay. The two Foreign Ministers will also share perspectives on regional issues, including the situation in Afghanistan .
The visit of the Canadian Foreign Minister is the high-level exchange between Pakistan and Canada . In November 2006, Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz visited Canada to attend the Global Micro-credit Summit in Halifax . Foreign Minister MacKay met with the Prime Minister on the sidelines of the Summit . In October 2006, Chairman Senate Mohammadmian Soomro paid a visit to Canada at the head of a parliamentary delegation. From the Canadian side, Minister of National Defence Gordon O' Connor visited Pakistan in September 2006. Earlier, Prime Minister Stephen Harper had visited Islamabad in March 2006.
Pakistan and Canada share a traditionally warm and longstanding friendship. Over the years, Canada has supported Pakistan 's development efforts. Canada responded promptly with relief assistance after the tragic earthquake that hit Pakistan in October 2005 and is now engaged in supporting the reconstruction efforts. Both sides are working to expand ties in the economic and commercial fields. Canada is home to over 300,000 Canadians of Pakistani origin who constitute an immutable bond between the two countries.
The visit of Foreign Minister Mackay would reinforce mutual understanding on regional and international issues of common interest and deepen bilateral cooperation in diverse fields.
• Pakistan Election to the Chair of the Group of 77 & China
Pakistan has been elected Chairman of the Group of 77 & China for 2007. The Minister for State for Foreign Affairs Makhdum Khusro Bakhtyar left for New York today to attend the ceremony of handing-over G-77 Chairmanship to Pakistan . The handing-over ceremony, to be held on 10 January, will also be attended by the Foreign Minister of South Africa which is outgoing chairman of the Group of 77, and the Secretary General of the United Nations.
Question/Answer Session
Asked how soon Pakistan Army would start its survey of the Pak-Afghan border in order to identify the points that were to be fenced and mined, the Spokesperson said:
The Army has already been tasked to work out the modalities. When it will start the process of identifying the areas and formulating the recommendations is something you may like to check with the Army.
Asked whether Pakistan had formally sought any support from NATO on the fencing and mining issue, the Spokesperson said:
We have not sought anyone's support, and we have no intention of seeking support in this regard. This is something that we are considering inside our territory and on our own.
Asked, with reference to President Musharraf's recent statement, as to which countries were taken into confidence ahead of taking decision on mining and fencing the Pak-Afghan border, the Spokesperson said:
The idea of fencing and mining the border has been there for sometime and is well known to everyone. I won't call it consultations but this was discussed with the visiting foreign dignitaries. I will not be able to specify which ones, but mostly the countries that are involved in Afghanistan - our partners; they have been informed about this.
Asked about the composition of Pakistan 's Jirga Commission, the Spokesperson said:
As you know the Prime Minister, during his visit to Kabul , announced that Pakistan was establishing a Jirga Commission which would be interacting with its counterpart on the Afghan side on the modalities for holding the jirgas. The composition of the Commission is expected to be finalized in the next few days.
When her comments were sought on the statement by the Indian Prime Minister expressing the optimism that Pakistan and India would be able to sign a treaty of friendship, the Spokesperson said:
The Indian Prime Minister has talked about such a treaty in the past as well. He has talked about it in the context future, something that may happen at a future date. We are working to normalize relations with India and for that it is important that the longstanding disputes between Pakistan and India are resolved - Kashmir being the most important of them. Once we are able to resolve the outstanding issues, then perhaps we can move towards such a scenario. But the Indian Prime Minister has not talked about such a treaty at present; he has talked about his future vision of South Asia .
When her comments were sought on a report by the Afghan News Agency suggesting that the process of fencing and mining the Pak-Afghan border had already been started, the Spokesperson said:
This is a speculative report.
Asked whether India had shown any flexibility on the issue of Jammu and Kashmir and if there were any indications towards that end, the Spokesperson said:
You would have seen Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's recent statement on return from Japan and subsequently at a public meeting in Amritsar . He welcomed the ideas by the President of Pakistan for the settlement of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute, a settlement that is acceptable to all the stakeholders.
Asked to confirm the veracity of the news reports that Mir Waiz Umer Farooq was going to visit Pakistan and Azad Kashmir with fresh proposals, and that he had appealed the UN Secretary General to revive the UN resolutions on Kashmir , the Spokesperson said:
The UN Security Council resolutions on Kashmir are alive, and Kashmir is on the UN Security Council agenda. We have seen reports about the visit by an APHC delegation and we welcome the visit. There are proposals and ideas and this is part of the discourse that is taking place on the issue of Jammu and Kashmir .
When her comments were sought on the EU statement calling on India to help resolve the Kashmir dispute in order to save the South Asian region from a nuclear war, the Spokesperson said:
I do not know which statement you are referring to. The international community has been encouraging Pakistan and India to resolve the Kashmir dispute. Of course, we welcome the interest of the international community in the resolution of this dispute for the establishment of durable peace in this region.
Asked about the significance of the Indian Foreign Minister's forthcoming visit to Pakistan, and whether during this visit Pakistan and India would sign four agreements as had been suggested by media reports, the contents of the Pakistan-India agreement on visa and visit of the Indian Prime Minister, the Spokesperson said:
The visit, as I have already said, is primarily in the context of extending invitation to our leadership for the SAARC Summit which is taking place in Delhi in April. The significance of the visit is that the two Foreign Ministers will review the third round of the Composite Dialogue that was concluded last year with the visit of Pakistani Foreign Secretary to Delhi . The two Foreign Secretaries held the Review Meeting. The Foreign Ministers would review the progress in the third round and may also have some guidelines for the next round. We expect the next round of the composite dialogue to begin afterward.
We do not have any dates for the Indian Prime Minister's visit, but he has accepted the invitation extended by our leadership. Recently he said that he was looking forward to a visit to Pakistan .
A number of agreements are in the works. Some of them await completion of procedural requirements. If that happens by the time the Indian Foreign Minister's visit, then they can perhaps be signed or announced to be signed at a later date. We understand that people would like to know what specific proposals are being discussed but it would not be appropriate for me to talk about these details at the moment. The two sides are examining each others' proposals which would have to be reconciled. Of course, it is in our interest to have this agreement at the earliest to facilitate genuine travelers.
Asked to describe Pakistan-Afghan relations in the wake of Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz's visit to Afghanistan , the Spokesperson said:
The visit has a number of positive outcomes. These include the agreement on the return of the Afghan refugees from Pakistan . The two sides have agreed for the phased repatriation of Afghan refugees from Pakistan and their resettlement in Afghanistan . Our priority is that some of the camps that are close to the Pak-Afghan border should be closed and dismantled, and those refugees should be repatriated and relocated inside Afghanistan at the earliest. This could end the hardship of the refugees who have been here for more than twenty-five years. It would also discourage the elements who may be taking advantage of the presence of a large number of Afghan refugees in Pakistan to indulge in activities that are detrimental to the interests of both Pakistan and Afghanistan .
Secondly, there was agreement on combating extremism and terrorism. There was an agreement to build Chaman-Spinboldak Railway line. It was also agreed that the next meeting of the Regional Economic Cooperation Conference on Afghanistan will be held in Pakistan . Pakistan also announced an additional US$ 50 million economic assistance for Afghanistan . This will make the total economic assistance from Pakistan to Afghanistan US$ 300 million. This is a rolling fund. As this amount is spent, more money will be allocated for the reconstruction needs of Afghanistan . These are some of the positive developments.
It is useful to maintain interaction between Pakistan and Afghanistan which has been an ongoing process. During the last briefing I had shared with you list of high-level bilateral exchanges i.e. there were seven from the Pakistan side. Afghan President has visited Pakistan nine times so far. The Prime Minister also extended an invitation to the Afghan President to visit Pakistan , which he accepted.
When her comments were sought on the new US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi that House of Representatives would not approve President's Bush decision of sending more troops to Iraq , the Spokesperson said:
I will not comment on that. This is an internal discussion between the Congress and the US Administration. However, we want to see peace and stability and reconciliation in Iraq , so that the violence and blood-shed that has afflicted the people of Iraq come to an end.
In response to a question about the controversy surrounding Pakistan 's decision to mine the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, the Spokesperson said:
It is not as if we are mining the areas to kill people. There is, as the Foreign Secretary said, an extraordinary situation that requires extraordinary measures. And it is not just mining. We have talked about fencing as well. We are taking a number of other measures also. Somehow, mining has received the maximum attention, and other measures that we are initiating have not reported in the media.
Mining will not be done all along the border. The Army has been, at present, tasked to identify the problem areas and make recommendations about fencing and mining. When the stage comes for mining, the areas which would be mined would be publicized properly and precautionary measures will be taken to make sure that there is no loss of life or limb. It is the life of our people and it is the protection and safety of our people. Surly, no one can be more concerned about that than Pakistan . You have to keep that in mind.
There are other measures, for instance, monitoring of the refugee camps. We do not want to create any hassles for the refugees but the refugee camps have been the source of suspicions and allegations. It has been suspected that some of the militant activities inside Afghanistan are originating or at least are being supported from the refugee camps. So there will be greater monitoring of the refugee camps. It is not easy because huge numbers are involved. This is precisely for this reason that we want the refugee camps close to the border to be dismantled and we also want the return of Afghan refugees to Afghanistan at the earliest. We do hope that 2007 would see the return of a significant number of refugees to Afghanistan . We are calling upon the international community and the UN to make necessary arrangements and to provide the necessary conditions in areas which are relatively peaceful for the resettlement and relocation of the Afghan Refugees inside Afghanistan .
We are also introducing documentation for the people who are crossing over to Afghanistan or are coming into Pakistan from Afghanistan .
Asked whether by allowing foreigners to hunt the endangered species in Rahim Yar Khan and Baluchistan , the Foreign Ministry had not infringed on a provincial subject, the Spokesperson said:
I do not know hunting is a provincial or federal government subject. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs does not decide that. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs only receives the requests for hunting from foreign dignitaries, and according to the order of priority, after receiving the request, it makes the recommendations. We have no role in identifying the hunting areas. That is not done by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. And if there has been any violation of the subject that belongs to a provincial government, certainly the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is not the right place to raise it.\
When her comments were sought on the statement by EU delegation calling for a fair 2007 General Elections in Pakistan and threatening to impose sanctions if Pakistan failed to do so, the Spokesperson said:
We welcome international observers. They can come and observe elections in Pakistan . However, we reject any threat whatsoever. Relations with Pakistan are equally in the interest of the European Union, and I am sure they realize that Pakistan is as important to the European Union as the European union is to us. This relationship is not a favour to Pakistan . It is a relationship that is based on the mutual interest, and it will continue on the basis of mutual interest, equality and respect for each other.
The details about the composition and number of the observers will be decided by the Election Commission of Pakistan, and we will go by their advice.