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Spokesperson Briefings

Date: 06/11/2006

RECORD OF THE PRESS CONFERENCE ADDRESSED BY THE FOREIGN OFFICE SPOKESPERSON ON 06 NOVEMBER 2006

Opening Statement

I want to make a clarification. There is a report in the media that Pakistan-US Strategic Dialogue is taking place today. This is incorrect. We had announced last week that due to some pressing engagements of Mr. Nicholas Burns, the second round of Pakistan-US Strategic Dialogue has been postponed. New dates will be announced after consolations between the two sides.

Question/Answer Session

Asked about Pakistan 's expectations from forthcoming the Foreign Secretary-level talks between Pakistan and India , the Spokesperson said:

These talks are basically to review the progress achieved in the second (third) round of the Composite Dialogue which has been completed which is logically to be followed by a meeting between the two Foreign Ministers after which the next round will commence. As we have been saying repeatedly, we expect forward movement on crucial issues in the Composite Dialogue. In the context of CBMs, we have made progress and we believe that now is the time to move towards the resolution of the outstanding issues and disputes particularly the core issue of Jammu and Kashmir .

When her comments were sought on the reported statement by the Dutch Foreign Minister about Pakistan 's role in Afghanistan and the proposal to fence the border between Pakistan and Afghanistan , the Spokesperson said:

There have been a number of statements on Afghanistan from different quarters. Firstly, Pakistan is doing whatever it can to ensure that the violence is not committed in Afghanistan from our territory. We have made a number of suggestions regarding fencing of the international border, selectively mining the border, introducing restrictions and checks on movement such as requirement of documentation on points where this movement should be allowed, real time intelligence sharing. There are forums like the Tripartite Commission. There have been interactions with Afghan side at various levels including at the highest level. However the enormity of the challenges in Afghanistan compounded by lack of reconstruction efforts, poppy cultivation, gun running, war lords and corruption should not be overlooked. There is also a need for successful reconciliation in Afghanistan .

As regards Pakistan , our major concern is presence of 3 million Afghan refugees in Pakistan . The international community must help these refugees go back to Afghanistan as early as possible. We have insisted that Afghan refugees close to the border who are at times suspected of providing refuge to the Taliban should be immediately re-located inside Afghanistan.

Asked about the messages of appreciation that Pakistan received in the wake of Bajour strike, the Spokesperson said:

I am not aware of any other comment. I understand there was a statement from the US .

When her attention was drawn to the growing Russo-Israeli military cooperation with India particularly in the naval field, the Spokesperson said:

We are aware of the cooperation which has been going on for many years now. We have repeatedly said that we do not want an arms race in this region. Our priority is to focus on economic development and the social uplift of our people. While we do not want an arms race with India , we can not be unmindful of our defence requirements.

Asked to comment on the statement by Indian sources that the verdict of the World Bank neutral expert was going to be in favour of India and whether Pakistan would abide by such a verdict, the Spokesperson said:

I have already said that the neutral expert held a meeting with the representatives of Pakistan and India and shared with them his preliminary report last month and had requested the two sides to offer their written comments. The report was shared on the basis of confidentiality. Another meeting is taking place in Washington right now. At this meeting there will be further discussions on the basis of comments sent earlier. We expect the verdict to come before the end of this year. Because it is a confidential report, I cannot disclose its details but the media report is only speculative in nature. We will abide by the verdict.

When her comments were sought on the announcement of the death sentence to former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, and whether the reprieving or converting of his death sentence into life imprisonment could prove instrumental in improving the situation in Iraq , the Spokesperson said:

The legal proceedings are continuing. In fact, the appeal process has started today. Our major concern remains peace, stability and territorial integrity of Iraq .

Asked about the agenda of the Foreign Minister's visit to India , the Spokesperson said:

His agenda is to attend a wedding.

Asked whether the Foreign Minister would have any meetings in India , the Spokesperson said:

It is a private visit. There are no meetings. There is no agenda other than attending the wedding.

When asked to comments on the mid-term elections in the US since the there had been comments about elections in Pakistan by the US leaders and officials, the Spokesperson said:

Elections are strictly an internal affair of a country. The elections in the US are their internal matter. We reject the comments on the internal situation of Pakistan whether they are on elections or any other matter.

Asked about Pakistan 's position on the resolution on sanctions against Cuba in the UN General Assembly, the Spokesperson said:

We do not discuss our vote on resolutions in the General Assembly. Our position on the question of sanctions is however well known. We do not believe that imposition of sanctions is very helpful. It is in fact counterproductive in most cases.

Asked about Afghanistan and E.U's reaction to Pakistan 's proposal of mining the Pakistan-Afghan border, the spokesperson said:

We had suggested only selective mining not the entire border. We do not want to put genuine travelers between the two countries at risk. There has not been any response to our suggestions. On the contrary, on the question of fencing, President Karzai said that he was not in favour of fencing the border between the two countries. He was in fact favouring further liberalization of movement.

In response to a question about the reason for Pakistan 's participation in the PSI exercise in the Persian Gulf , the Spokesperson said:

No, Pakistan is not participating in this exercise.

Asked whether there was any progress on the proposal for Jirgas on both sides of the Pak-Afghan border, the Spokesperson said:

The two sides are in touch regarding modalities. Once that is done, as I said in the last press briefing, the Foreign Minister will visit Kabul to exchange views with his Afghan counterpart probably in the first half of December.

When her comments were sought on the CIA's report that President Hamid Karzai had increasingly been getting weaker, the Spokesperson said:

I will not comment on the CIA report. However, I have already talked about the problems in Afghanistan which need to be addressed.

When her comments were sought on the Israeli attacks on the Palestinian territories and whether it was not high time for Pakistan to reverse its earlier policy of having contacts with the state of Israel , the Spokesperson said:

We condemn such flagrant attacks on innocent civilians. Nothing can condone shooting of innocent women, men and children. At the time of the meeting between the Foreign Minister of Pakistan and his Israeli counterpart, we had said that incremental progress in relations between Pakistan and Israel would depend on the progress towards the establishment of an independent, viable Palestinian State .

When her attention was drawn to news reports that UK was going to dispatch more troops to Afghanistan the Spokesperson said:

Britain is part of NATO mission in Afghanistan . We have seen these reports. If this happens, this would part of augmenting NATO'S presence there.

Asked whether Pakistan was going to sign an agreement with China for construction of six nuclear power plants during the Chinese Premier's forthcoming visit to Pakistan , the Spokesperson said:

Cooperation in the civilian nuclear technology between Pakistan and China is longstanding. However, I am not sure from where this number of six nuclear power plants has come.