Spokesman Briefings

Date: 03/07/2008

Record of the Press Briefing on 03 July 2008

Opening Statement-I

Prime Minister's visit to the United States

Prime Minister Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani will be visiting the United States at the invitation of the U.S. President. He will meet President George W. Bush on 28 July 2008 at the White House.

The Prime Minister looks forward to his talks with President Bush on a broad range of issues covering Pakistan-U.S. bilateral relations as well as regional and international matters of common interest. During the visit, the Prime Minister will also have interaction with members of the U.S. Congress, business sector, media, and the Pakistani-American community.

The visit is part of the regular high-level exchanges between the two countries. The two leaders earlier met on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum on the Middle East at Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt , on 18 May 2008.

The Prime Minister's visit, the first since the formation of the new democratic government in March 2008, would further deepen the multifaceted cooperation between the two countries.

Opening Statement-II

Foreign Minister Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi will arrive in New York on 8 July 2008 for consultations with the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and Permanent Representatives of the Security Council member countries regarding Pakistan 's request for an international inquiry under the United Nations auspices into the tragic assassination of Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto.

The request for an inquiry has already been submitted by our Permanent Representative Ambassador Munir Akram to the Secretary General which is being reviewed by the UN Office of Legal Affairs.

Pakistan 's request for the UN probe is in line with the aspirations expressed in the unanimous resolutions adopted by the National Assembly and four Provincial Assemblies.

The Foreign Minister will also address a UN Security Council meeting on Afghanistan on 9 th July.

In New York , the Foreign Minister will interact with the US and ethnic media and address a community meeting.

The Foreign Minister will also pay a day long visit to Washington on 11 July to meet Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, members of the Congress, senior US officials, and representatives of the Pakistani community.

The Foreign Minister will leave the United States for Pakistan on 14 July.

Question/Answer Session

Q: What is the agenda of Prime Minister's visit to United States ? Who else will he be meeting and who will be included in his entourage?

A: The visit is the part of regular high level exchanges between Pakistan and United States . As I said in my opening statement, in addition to meeting President Bush, the Prime Minister will meet the US Congressmen, representatives of business sector, media and the Pakistani American community. The date of departure from Pakistan and back from Washington will be announced as soon as these meetings are firmed up. We will announce the entourage as and when it is finalized.

Q: What is Pakistan 's position on the statement of Michael Mullen which says that the US has the authority to strike on Pakistan 's soil? Why is there a dichotomy in the statements of Michael Mullen and Richard Boucher?

A: I thought if a question is asked on Michael Mullen's statement, I will refer to Assistant Secretary of State, Richard Boucher's press conference which most of you attended. Our policy is very clear, and Boucher got it right; action on Pakistan 's territory is the sole prerogative of Pakistani armed forces. The US, NATO, ISAF and Afghanistan National Army can take action on the Afghan side of the border.

We have seen the news reports about Admiral Michael Mullen's statement but I have not seen the transcript. However, our policy on military action on Pakistan territory is very clear and it has not been changed.

Q: Washington Post has published a story claiming that, in 2001, President Musharraf had allowed the US to take action on Pakistani territory if it located Osama bin Laden there. What are your comments?

A: I believe you are referring to the news story published by Washington Times yesterday. The story quotes anonymous sources. Such stories are not credible. They are picked up in Pakistan , there is brief hype and then they are forgotten. News items quoting anonymous sources are better ignored. However, if there is a need for detailed statement, the Presidential Spokesman will address the story.

Q: Will the Prime Minister be visiting other cities in addition to Washington during his visit to the US ?

A: The programme of the visit has not been finalized yet; so for we have only Washington on the itinerary. Prime Minster has a very busy schedule and it is unlikely that a lot could be added to the visit.

Q: During his meeting with the Foreign Minister of Pakistan, did Prime Minister Manmohan Singh give a time-frame about his visit to Pakistan ?

A: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh accepted the invitation of the visit; mutually convenient dates of the visit will be determined through diplomatic channels.

Q: There are series of statements regarding activities on Pak-Afghan border which followed a military operation in that area. Is there a link between the two?

A: I do not think there is any link between the two.

Q: The Afghan government gave a demarche on the death of two Afghan nationals by militants in Bajaur Agency. What is the response of the Government of Pakistan?

A: The Afghan Government has requested that Pakistan should launch an inquiry into the unfortunate incident of the beheading of two persons – who, according to media reports, were Afghan nationals - and bring the culprits of the heinous crime to justice.

The media reports, ostensibly based on the information provided by the militants themselves, claimed that the victims were Afghan nationals. We have no confirmation of this claim from any independent source. We are also unaware of the purpose of the visit of two unfortunate persons to Bajaur, if they were foreigners.

We have asked the Afghan Government to share the information they have on the victims, specifically their names, passport and visa particulars and the purpose for which they were visiting Bajaur Agency. This information, which will be very useful in the conduct of an inquiry, is awaited from the Afghan Government.

Q: One of the agencies of the UN has decided to close its office in Pakistan . Are the other embassies are contemplating to follow suit?

A: No Foreign Mission in Islamabad has been closed. All UN offices are working normally. I believe the UN Spokesperson in Islamabad had already issued a statement to this effect.

Q: There are news stories about massive thefts of nuclear technology from the US . Would that be a threat to humanity? What is the view of the government of Pakistan on these incidents of theft of nuclear technology from the US ?

A: I am not aware of any recent specific incident but any nuclear material missing, particularly the one which could be used in building nuclear weapon, is a threat to humanity.

Q: How do you compare the Foreign Minister's recent visit to India with that of the former Foreign Minister? Is there any difference in the response of the Indian government?

A: Well, it is the first time that I accompanied the Foreign Minister to India . I could see that the atmosphere was friendly, warm and receptive.

Q: Has the issue of the violation of Pakistan border in Mohmand Agency been raised with Mr. Boucher. What was the response of the US ?

A: The issue of violation of Pakistan border has been raised at all levels; it was also raised in the Foreign Minister's meeting with the Secretary of State in Paris . The Mohmand Agency incident is being investigated and we hope that the investigation will result in evolving a mechanism which would help in checking the recurrence of such incidents.

Q: Pakistan and India had decided to exchange the lists of prisoners in the two countries on 1 st July 2008. We have not heard that the exchange did take place. What is the update on this?

A: The Judicial Committee on Prisoners between Pakistan and India , in its meeting in Islamabad on 9-13 June 2008, had decided that the second exchange of lists of prisoners between Pakistan and India will take place on July 1, 2008. We have handed over our list to the Indian side on 1 st July as required by the Judicial Committee. However, we were informed that the Indian Ministry of External Affairs was awaiting requisite information from the concerned offices to finalize their list. We hope the list of Pakistani prisoners in Indian jails will be provided to us as soon as possible.

Q: Who will represent Pakistan in the forthcoming SAARC Summit? Is it the President or the Prime Minister?

A: The SAARC meeting will be held in Colombo , Sri Lanka on 27 July–3 August, 2008. Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani will represent Pakistan in the Summit Meeting which will be held on 2-3 August 2008. The Foreign Minister will lead our delegation to the Council of Minister's Meeting on 31 July-1 August following the Programming Committee Meeting on 27-28 July (at DG level), and Standing Committee Meeting (at Foreign Secretary level) on 29-30 July.