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Spokesperson Briefings

Date: 26/12/2006

RECORD OF THE PRESS CONFERENCE ADDRESSED BY THE FOREIGN SECRETARY'S ON 26 DECEMBER 2006

Opening Statement

This is the last Foreign Office Briefing this year i.e. 2006. For that reason I thought that I may present myself to you. Let me first extend very warm Eid greetings to you which will fall on the first January 2006, and also very happy 2007 to all of you.

Before taking your questions, I want to share some information with you. In keeping with our policy to prevent any militant activity from Pakistan inside Afghanistan , the Pakistan Army has been tasked to work out modalities for selectively fencing and mining the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. Naturally, this measure will take into account the need for having designated crossing-points to facilitate movement of people across this border under the easement rights. These measures will supplement the measures which are already in force to prevent any military activity from this side in Afghanistan . We maintain over seven hundred check posts all along the 2,400 Kilometers long porous Pak-Afghan border. We are expanding Frontier Corps, and it has been deployed in the bordering areas in addition to the Army deployments. Then we are also very actively cooperating within the framework of the tripartite military commission, and also intelligence sharing which is through the bilateral means between the concerned agencies of the two sides, and also through cooperation with NATO and ISAF-related intelligence. Of course, the responsibility for interdicting or preventing any such militancy is not the responsibility of Pakistan side alone, but it is equally the responsibility of the ISAF, NATO and the Afghan forces. Secondly, it has also been decided to strictly monitor the Afghan refugee camps. We are expediting the process of registration of the Afghan refugees which we hope to complete soon. We also request the international community, especially the United Nations to expedite the return of refugees to Afghanistan and to relocate some of the camps which are closer to the border and which have been the cause of much disturbance to the territory inside Afghanistan

Question/Answer Session

Asked, in the backdrop of the recent Pakistani proposals on Kashmir and the Foreign Office spokesperson’s statements on these ideas, whether Pakistan had not turned its back on its principled stand on the Jammu and Kashmir , the Foreign Secretary said:

I do not know what really prompted you to make this comment which is simply unacceptable. Let me say that the essence and soul of Pakistan 's political and moral position on Kashmir is the right of self-determination of the Kashmiri people. This is a sacrosanct principle which is enshrined in the UN Charter. The UN Security Council resolutions on Kashmir provide the framework for the exercise of the right of self-determination by the Kashmiri people. That underpins our legal position. Also consistent with the UN Charter over the years, we have made efforts to resolve this longstanding dispute through bilateral discussions. There are other means also which are identified in the UN Charter for negotiated settlement and through negotiations. Naturally, the efforts premise on flexibility. Pakistan is prepared to show flexibility provided India also does the same. But the most important aspect in the pursuit of any negotiated settlement is that it must be acceptable to the people of Kashmir . Such a solution must reflect the aspirations of the people of Kashmir . This is how it will imbibe the spirit of the principle of self determination to which I have already made a reference. Whatever, the spokesperson had said was totally in accord with this moral and political position by Pakistan .

Asked to evaluate the successes and shortcomings of the foreign policy of Pakistan during the outgoing year, the Foreign Secretary said:

It would be a long narrative if I start counting the high-level bilateral visits that have taken place during the year 2006. Starting with the visit of the King of Saudi Arabia, there have been many important visits that have taken place to consolidate and further promote cooperation bilaterally as well as multilaterally. Secondly, there have been a very large number of visits by the President and the Prime Minister again for the same purpose. Thirdly, we have been making efforts, and to a great deal they have been successful in maintaining an environment of peace and stability in our region. Of course these efforts are not a one-time affair; they are a continuing endeavour. These efforts will continue in future. To count at least one of them, let me mention the peace process with India that has been carried forward; it had a temporary hiccup, but it has been resumed. We hope that this peace process will move forward in the next year with some culmination. We have always maintained that the time has come when the two countries should be able to resolve the issues rather than simply to learn to live with them. I can continue but it would just be an academic discussion.

Asked about the schedule and agenda of the Indian Foreign Minister Parnap Mukerjee's proposed visit to Pakistan , and whether he subscribed to media hype that there would be a major breakthrough during his forthcoming visit to Pakistan , the Foreign Secretary said:

Foreign Minister Mukerjee's visit will take place in January 2007. It is primarily in the context of SAARC. As you know the next SAARC Summit is taking place in India . So I suppose that besides visiting Islamabad , he would also be visiting other SAARC capitals in the context of the next summit meeting. However, there would be a review of the Composite Dialogue Process which is due at the Foreign Minister-level. So this opportunity will be utilized for that purpose as well.

To talk about breakthroughs is simply premature. I do not indulge myself with that kind of speculations. So I hope that you would forgive me for that.

The visit of the Indian Prime Minister is on the cards but naturally dates are to be decided and that would come sometime next year. At this stage, I do not have any further information to share with you.

Asked about Pakistan 's stands on the UNSC resolution imposing sanctions on Iran , the Foreign Secretary said:

You know Pakistan 's position. We have never been in favour of sanctions against Iran . We have always emphasized that there ought to be a diplomatic solution of the Iranian nuclear issue. However, we have noted the Security Council resolution which is under Chapter VII, and therefore its implementation is mandatory. We are studying its provisions. But perhaps the impact of this resolution on Pakistan-Iran bilateral relations would not be there. The scope of this resolution is limited to cooperation with Iran in the nuclear sector, and Pakistan does not have cooperation with Iran in this particular sector. But let me also add that Iran have the right to access to peaceful nuclear technology under the IAEA safeguards. Iran must of course abide by its obligations as a signatory to the NPT. All parties must indeed abide by their international obligations. We also feel that the passage of this resolution should not be a reason to abandon efforts for a diplomatic solution of this crisis.

Asked whether any prior agreement had been reached with the Afghan Government ahead of fencing and mining the Pak-Afghan border, and if Pakistan expected any cooperation from the international community in this regard as well, the Foreign Secretary said:

We do not need any agreement with any country for that matter, to take any measure we may take on our side of the border. There is no question of an agreement in this regard. The intention on the part of Pakistan vis-à-vis this suggestion has been well-known to everyone. It has been stated not just to the Afghan side, but publicly a number of times. This is a measure that we will be taking on our side of the border. As regards, cooperation from the international community, we have frankly not thought about it. We may look at the pros and cons, but so far this is a step that we are taking ourselves. We have not thought about requesting the international community to help us in this regard.

The international community can really help in the repatriation of the Afghan refugees to settle them inside Afghanistan . This is a matter which should be undertaken on an urgent basis, because much of the controversy that you see in international media relates to the fact that we have such a large Afghan refugee population in Pakistan , especially closer to our borders. Many of these camps are located closer to the Pak-Afghan border. So we hope that the international community will really come up with some important initiative, and would be able to expedite the repatriation of the Afghan refugees. The second area in which the international community can help is what President Musharraf had said in Lahore , and our Prime Minister had also mentioned that there is a need for a Martial Plan like effort to help Afghanistan . Nothing short of that kind of an endeavour of that magnitude will make a difference. The international community, I am sure, understands and realizes the enormity of the challenge that they face and we face in the region. We hope that we all especially the donor community will be up to this challenge.

The task which has been given to Pakistan Army is already in hand. They have been asked to work out the modalities i.e. where and which sections etc. It would be done selectively. There will also be the necessity of creating designated crossing points.

Asked when any headway can be expected towards resolving the Jammu and Kashmir dispute, particularly when the Indian Prime Minister and Governor of the IHK had welcomed President Musharraf's proposals as positive, the Foreign Secretary said:

These ideas of course have generated a discourse. They are also being commented upon by the Kashmiri leaders, and they have raised hopes that it may be possible to find a common ground for a solution which is acceptable to Pakistan, India and, as I said earlier, to the people of Kashmir. I cannot say anything as to when exactly this hope will be realized. In fact nobody will be able to foresee future in that precise manner. Nevertheless, this is an important effort, and let me say that never before has there been such sustained and focused discussions on longstanding Kashmir dispute as has been the case during the last two and a half years.

Asked whether, given the intangible achievements from the peace process, we were not just hoping against the hope for achieving any concrete results in the future, the Foreign Secretary said:

These ideas are concrete and they have been aired in a broad sense. They have been discussed at various levels; they have been discussed at the summit level between the President of Pakistan and the Prime Minister of India. We hope that as this process intensifies, there would be a possibility, in terms of various options, of articulation of these ideas in more concrete terms for the purposes of a solution. So we hope that stage through this discourse and discussion will reach sooner rather than later.

Asked whether Pakistan 's foreign policy had not failed on caricature issue, because the Government of Denmark had not made an apology in that regard, the Foreign Secretary said:

Let me tell you that this is not just the issue of Pakistan ; it is the issue of entire Muslim Ummah. The entire Muslim Ummah was agitated on this issue and the message that these are the matters of extreme sensitivity was registered with people and governments. As you know, there is already a great awareness among the scholars and commentators in the West; now they agree that there ought to be an interfaith dialogue and interfaith understanding. This is again an ongoing process of interaction between the Muslim countries and the countries of Europe .

The UN General Assembly has adopted a resolution which basically emphasizes the need for responsibility in the freedom of expression. 

In response to a question about the proposed IPI gas pipeline Project, the Foreign Secretary said:

This gas pipeline is a very important project for Pakistan . We have energy needs that are well-known to everybody. This is a purely commercial project, and we have been engaged in very intensive discussions with the Iranian side. And in these discussions, India has also been involved, because this is a pipeline which is supposed to be from Iran to Pakistan and then onward to India .

Now the main issue is that of pricing. The three sides have agreed on appointing consultants who could look into this issue of pricing from various points of view and come up with some suggestions. We have yet to receive these consolidated proposals and suggestions. Once that is done, there would be another round of intensive negotiations and discussions, and we hope that there is a political will through which the three countries will be able to overcome this issue of pricing, which is important, because it would be a long-term commitment. We are not under any type of pressure to give up the project. If there are really any pressures, these are owing to our energy needs. Secondly, our success in negotiations would depend on our will. 

Asked to substantiate his earlier statement regarding the resolution of the Siachin issue, the Foreign Secretary said:

What I said in New Delhi was quite self-explanatory. Surely, nobody expects us to accept any claims here. However, there is a very serious effort on our part and I think that this finds resonance also on the other side with our interlocutors. It would be a very important confidence-building if we are able to resolve this yet another longstanding issue. We had exchanged some ideas in Delhi during the Composite Dialogue. Now it would be discussed in the next round. It would also be discussed when the Indian Foreign Minister visits Islamabad in January. As I said that although this occasion is primarily meant for SAARC-related matters, it would be also utilized for the purpose of review of the Composite Dialogue. So let us see if we can have further discussions on this particular issue at that time as well.

When his comments were sought on a news item in the press suggesting that the US had demanded Pakistan to carry out more operations in North Waziristan , the Foreign Secretary said:

There are many news items. It is very difficult to keep track of all that appears in the papers. The agreement in the North Waziristan represents a very important policy on the part of Pakistan . The policy is that in addition to military measures and action that may be necessary, it is important to have a political and administrative approach and socioeconomic development plans and programmes. So this is what we are doing. The much commented North Waziristan deal was the part of the political approach that has been adopted. This approach is being replicated elsewhere also in South Waziristan , Bajaur etc. Apart from that, as I mentioned earlier, we have the other approaches, including the expansion of the Frontier Corps, its deployment, raising of fresh Levies, strengthening the traditional institution of the Political Agent and the tribal Maliks. Pakistan Government has very large-scale economic development programmes for the FATA regions. With all these, we hope that we will be able to address the problem of extremism which is quite evident and has afflicted these areas of Pakistan , and of course also to combat terrorist elements that may still be found there.

In response to another question on the border-fencing and mining issue whether it would not be a violation of UN Convention, the Foreign Secretary said:

There are two things that I have mentioned i.e. modalities for fencing and/or mining. Fencing of course takes longer time to put in place. It also needs to be guarded, because otherwise it can be tampered with. However, mining is easier and it can be done expeditiously. Of course, these measures require budget. And it should be done in the selected areas. That is why the Army has not been assigned the task of fencing the entire 2,400 kilometers border; it would be futile. What it has been tasked with is to fence or mine where there may be problem, where there may be difficulties of monitoring. But this has to be done with great deal of care. Of course, the population also has to be informed about any such measures, so that there is no untoward incidents and no innocent civilians suffer in the process. So it is a process which will take some time. Wherever necessary, there will be fencing, but that will be supplemented by mining, but the latter can be done quite expeditiously.

Why not a fence? Why do the United States and Mexico need a fence? It is so because there are certain problems. Every other day you find the statements in your papers that there are these cross-border movements etc, and we are asked to prevent that. We are saying that we are doing what we can do, and we will do what we can to prevent this kind of movement. Therefore, one of the measures that we think may be effective is fence.

You are referring probably to the Ottawa Convention. Pakistan is not a signatory to that Convention. There are also other countries which are not parties to that convention. We do understand the sentiment behind this Convention. However, let me say that there is an extraordinary situation and we need extra-ordinary measures to respond to that. We are not doing this because we feel very happy about doing that. It is a measure which we feel may be necessary in order to carry out our commitments that Pakistan 's territory will not be used for militancy inside Afghanistan