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Spokesperson Briefings

Date: 07/08/2006

RECORD OF THE PRESS CONFERENCE ADDRESSED BY THE FOREIGN OFFICE SPOKESPERSON ON 07 AUGUST, 2006

No statement was made in the beginning, and the Press Conference opened with Question/Answer Session.

QUESTION/ANSWER SESSION

When her comments were sought on the reported demand by the French Government that Pakistan should do more against Taliban in Afghanistan , spokesperson said:

Afghan situation is a matter of concern to everyone, not just to the countries that are contributing troops to ISAF. No other country can have more interest in peace, stability and prosperity in Afghanistan than Pakistan . We are not just neighbours but we share cultural, ethnic, historical and religious ties as well. A stable and prosperous Afghanistan is essential for stability and prosperity of Pakistan . We have taken a number of steps to stop the two way infiltration across Pakistan-Afghanistan border. We have deployed around 80,000 troops on our border with Afghanistan . We have sacrificed more lives in this endeavor than any other country. Everyone has to do more to bring about normalcy in Afghanistan . More needs to be done in terms of helping Afghan people to have a secure and normal life. More needs to be done in terms of reconstruction. There are other problems also, for instance the problem of narcotic drugs. More needs to be done on that account as well. There is certainly a great deal more that can be done to help Afghan refugees return home. This would also remove the complaints about cross-border movement.

Asked how she viewed the Pakistan-India Peace Process in the wake of Indian assertion that expulsion of the Indian diplomat by Pakistan would undermine the same, the Spokesperson said:

In our view expulsion should not affect the peace process.

Asked whether Pakistan had received any new set of dates from India for the Foreign-Secretary-level Composite Dialogue Review Meeting, the Spokesperson said:

As already stated when the Foreign Secretary level review meeting was postponed, we were informed by the Indian MEA that India would be indicating new dates. We have not received any suggestion about new dates from India as yet.

Asked to confirm the veracity of the news reports that Pakistan had complained to Iran for the involvement of Indian Consulate in Zahidan in Baluchistan situation, the Spokesperson said:

I have seen the report in the media. I am not in a position to confirm that. However, you know our position about foreign involvement in Baluchistan . I have nothing more to say on that.

Asked to elaborate the role of the UN and OIC in diffusing the crisis in Lebanon , the Spokesperson said:

You must have seen the declaration of the Summit-level Executive Committee Meeting of the OIC in Kuala Lumpur . It contains a number of elements. You would have also seen the statement by our Prime Minister of Pakistan. The OIC declaration is very focused and has outlined a number of steps for immediate action.

The Security Council is meeting. The United States and France have come up with a draft resolution. Consultations are continuing. We understand that the Lebanese have expressed certain reservations and so did Qatar . Now the efforts would be to make it more balanced. You would recall that since the beginning of the crisis, we have repeatedly called upon the international community to move swiftly and stop Israeli aggression. Since then considerable time has lapsed. We do hope that the International community would step in urgently to stop the carnage of innocent Lebanese and to put an end to Israeli aggression.

Asked, with reference to President Musharraf's consultations with the UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, about Pakistan 's position on sending its troops to Lebanon under the UN umberlla, the Spokesperson said:

There is no proposal of sending Pakistani troops. We understand that there was a mention of Pakistan along with Turkey , Malaysia and some other countries. We are among the top troop contributors for the peace keeping missions around the world. We have a long history of making these contributions. Primarily the criterion for our participation in peace keeping operations comprises two elements which I have already mentioned. These are: UN mandate and acceptance of that mandate by the parties concerned. In this case we would like to see a UN Security Council sanctioned peace keeping mission and acceptance of that mandate by Lebanon . If these conditions are met then we would be ready to consider our participation.

Asked whether the expulsion by Pakistan of an Indian diplomat and vice versa had not further strained the relations between India and Pakistan as India has said that it would, the spokesperson said:

You are aware of the circumstances that led to that expulsion. It also needs to be kept in mind that diplomats also have certain responsibilities. I don't think that Indians are saying that the peace process will not continue. Many things could spoil the atmosphere. For instance baseless allegations vitiate the climate but we have to move beyond that.

Asked to confirm the media reports that President Musharraf was visiting the US this month, the Spokesperson said:

I have already said that this report is absolutely incorrect. President Musharraf is not visiting the US in August.

When her comments were sought on media reports that the US State Department told Interior Minister Aftab Sherpao during his recent visit to the US that the weapons that had been provided to Pakistan for use in the war against terror had been used for different purposes, the Spokesperson said:

Incidentally, there are many wrong and baseless reports about what happened during the Interior Minister's visit to the US . Earlier also there were some stories. No we are not aware of any objection by the US authorities. You may however, like to check it with the Ministry of Interior as well.

Asked whether Pakistan was concerned about US Secretary of State Condolezza Rice's statement that there was a need to redraw the map in the Middle East , the Spokesperson said:

I have not seen any statement about the redrawing of maps. We know about the U.S initiative called ‘Broader Middle-East Initiative'. It involves a number of countries. Under this initiative the US has had interaction with Pakistan as well. We have participated in some of the meetings that basically dealt with economic cooperation and greater trade opportunities.

Asked whether the recent postponement was a temporary hiccup or a permanent obstacle in the Pakistan India peace process, the Spokesperson said:

We have repeatedly said that the peace process is in the interest of Pakistan , India , this region and the world at large. This should not be seen as a concession being made by one party to the other. Peace Process is vital for the economic development in this region. South Asia has been left behind in economic cooperation and economic linkages as compared to other regions which have reaped the benefits of that co-operation. I would recall you the Joint Statement issued at the conclusion of President Musharraf's visit to New Delhi on April 18, 2005 when the leadership of the two countries pledged that they would not allow the terrorists acts in either country to impede the peace process. We have to keep that in mind.

Our position has been very clear right from the beginning. We do not see any linkage between terrorist acts in India or in Pakistan and the peace process. We have repeatedly said that there is no connection between the two. They are two separate issues. We have seen some statements from the Indian leadership as well that peace process has not been derailed and that it will continue. The two Foreign Secretaries met in Dhaka on the sidelines of SAARC Ministerial Meeting and they agreed that various processes underway under the rubric of the peace process will continue; nothing will be frozen.

Asked to comment on the reports that India was considering to send troops to Afghanistan , the Spokesperson said:

We have no information about this.

When her comments were sought on the reported statement made by a senior official of the US State Department that delivery of F-16s was linked to Pakistan's compliance with certain additional security plan, and whether a piece of legislation introduced by a US Senator would hamper the deal, the Spokesperson said:

The sale of F-16 Aircraft to Pakistan has been cleared by the US Congress. The negotiations, I suppose, would start now. Defence-sale agreements, everywhere, contain a standard clause which is meant to ensure that there is no transfer of technology to a third country. Of course, when we sing agreements with other countries whether we are selling or purchasing, we also have similar provisions. We have not been conveyed any requirement for extraordinary security arrangement. We are not aware of any such thing.

In response to another question on this subject, the Spokesperson clarified:

The sale has been cleared by the Congress. It just happened a few days back. Now there will be a letter of offer from the US side and a letter of acceptance from our side. The two sides will now negotiate. There is no piece of legislation as has been mentioned by you. It has been approved by the Congress without any conditions.

Asked, with reference to her response to an earlier question, why Pakistan referred to April 18, 2005 Joint statements while India insisted on adherence to January 06, 2004 statement, the spokesperson said:

We are committed to every agreement, every understanding that we have between our two countries including Simla Agreement, Article 6 of that Agreement and all subsequent understandings, joint statements and agreements. We are not selective. We do not cite understandings selectively. I amy however, mention here is that 18 April statement came after the January 6, 2004 statement. We should not forget that following the January 6, 2004 Statement there was a commitment by the leadership of the two countries which said that they would not let a terrorist act in either country impedes the peace process.