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Spokesperson Briefings

Date: 11/09/2006

RECORD OF THE PRESS CONFERENCE ADDRESSED BY THE FOREIGN OFFICE SPOKESPERSON ON 11 SEPTEMBER, 2006

OPENING STATEMENT

President, General Pervez Musharraf, has left today, firstly on an official visit to Belgium from 11-14 September 2006. He will be accompanied by members of the Cabinet and senior officials. In Brussels , the President will meet with the Belgian Prime Minister and Chief Executive Officers of leading Belgian companies.

In the context of the President's engagements with the European Union, he will have meetings with President of the European Commission, President of the European Parliament, European Union High Representative and Foreign Policy Chief Javier Solana. He will also address the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the European Parliament and the opening session of the Global Discourse on Kashmir .

QUESTION/ANSWER SESSION

Asked to evaluate the achievements of the five years of struggle against international terrorism with special reference to Pakistan and also why the war against terrorism was not successful, the spokesperson said:

The fight against terrorism is continuing. We expected the problem of terrorism to go away but it has not. We have always emphasized that military operations alone can not eradicate terrorism. In order to eliminate the scourge of terrorism that affects everyone, we should have a comprehensive strategy that includes addressing the root-causes of terrorism. We have articulated our principled position at every opportunity and at every forum that we need a comprehensive strategy to eradicate terrorism. While the focus in these five years has primarily been on military action, there has not been enough attention to other aspects, addressing the underlying causes of terrorism, violence and extremism. These include long festering political disputes, sense of deprivation and alienation in the Muslim world, economic inequities and lack of development. We need to put in place a comprehensive strategy that has equal focus to all aspects of terrorism.

As far as Pakistan 's role in this struggle is concerned, it has played a significant role. The fact is that Pakistan 's contribution has been more than any other single country. This is not something that we are claiming; this has been acknowledged worldwide.

In response to another question whether a policy review was not required in Pakistan because the current policy on fighting terrorism had not been successful and because it had produced hundreds of suicide bombers in Pakistan, the spokesperson said:

Pakistan has a comprehensive policy on fighting terrorism and extremism which has military, political and economic development aspects to it. Problem of suicide bombers is not unique to Pakistan. Unfortunately, we see suicide terrorist attacks around the globe. This is happening everywhere and is very difficult to prevent these attacks.

When her comments were sought on the massacre of Muslims in India and whether Pakistan had condemned it, the spokesperson said:

It was a terrorist act and we have strongly condemned it.

Asked whether Pakistan had consulted the Afghan or the US governments before striking a deal with the pro-Taliban tribesmen, and what reaction had been expressed by the Afghan President to this understanding during President Musharraf's lately concluded visit to Afghanistan , the spokesperson said:

This agreement is between the government and tribal elders in North Waziristan . There is no agreement with the Taliban and this is something internal to Pakistan .

The President's visit to Afghanistan was a landmark visit. The two leaders had very good and constructive discussions. You would have seen the Joint Statement that was issued at the end of the visit. President Karzai expressed appreciation for this agreement. Among other things, the tribal elders have pledged not to allow any cross-border movement for military purposes.

In response to another question on the agreement in North Waziristan , the Spokesperson said:

There has been no capitulation by the Government of Pakistan. You may recall that the Government of Pakistan had offered a similar understanding to the tribal elders before launching the military operations. The Government had said at that time that anyone who was willing to live peacefully, abiding by the laws of Pakistan and was ready to give up violence would be allowed to live. This agreement is also in line with our policy that military action alone does not provide a solution to violence, extremism and terrorism. In that sense, there is absolutely no contradiction.

Asked to confirm the details of Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz's reported visit to Afghanistan , the spokesperson said:

The Prime Minister is likely to visit Afghanistan for the inauguration of the Jalalabad-Torkhum road that has been built by Pakistan . I am not in a position to confirm the exact date or the specifics of the visit.

When her comments were sought on the media reports that the US Administration was closely watching the deal between the Government of Pakistan and the Taliban tribesmen, the spokesperson said:

Everyone is welcome to watch it. Let's be very clear about one thing. The agreement is not with the Taliban. It is an agreement between the Government of NWFP and the tribal elders in North Waziristan .

Asked to give details of the reported ‘Iftar dinner' that President Bush was hosting in the honour of President Musharraf and President Karzai during their visit to the U.S, the spokesperson said:

There is something being planned. I am not in the position to say more about it at the moment.

When her attention was drawn to the media reports that US was likely to undertake hot pursuit of OBL into Pakistani territory, the spokesperson said:

These speculative stories keep on appearing in the media from time to time. To the best of my knowledge, there is no such understanding. The Government of Pakistan is responsible for taking action against terrorists on the Pakistani side of the border. If you want further details, you can contact ISPR. It is also a presumption that OBL is hiding somewhere on this side. There is no evidence to suggest that.

Asked whether Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz's statement that hinted at sending a de-mining mission to Lebanon did not contradict her earlier assertion that Pakistan could contribute its troops to the peacekeeping mission in Lebanon subject to certain conditions, the spokesperson said:

I stand by my statement. That is our policy. I do not know if you have seen the Prime Minister's statement or the Press Release that we issued on sending a de-mining mission to Lebanon . This mission is being sent at the request of the Government of Lebanon. When the Prime Minister was in Lebanon recently, every Lebanese leader made request for such a mission. The sole purpose is to remove the land mines and the cluster bombs. We are doing it at the request the Lebanese leadership. This is not a peacekeeping mission. Lebanon has informed us of their requirements in three areas i.e. battle area clearance, de-mining and explosive ordnance disposal; these are all priority areas for them. As of 7 September, 457 cluster bomb locations involving 300,000 cluster bomb units have been detected. These areas are located in the southern part of Lebanon . The internally displaced people are trying to return to their areas and the mines and cluster bombs put the returnees at risk of being killed or losing their limbs. This is a gesture of good-will from Pakistan to the people of Lebanon .

Asked whether the agenda for President Musharraf's meeting with the Indian Prime Minister had been discussed within the government as the Indian Prime Minster had done according to media reports, the spokesperson said:

There is no specific agenda. The two leaders are expected to have detailed discussions on a broad agenda which would include the Jammu and Kashmir dispute, Peace Process and anything else they want to discuss.

Asked whether Pakistan would take up the issue of the allegations by some official US source that Mulla Umar had been sighted in and around Quetta and also for her comments, the spokesperson said:

It is very difficult to act on the statements attributed to unknown officials. There is no ownership of such reports. We have not sighted Mulla Umar in any part of Pakistan and these are just baseless speculations. In this part of the world these days, what we are waiting to sight is the Ramadan moon and then the Eid moon.

In response to a question about the latest report of the Amnesty International criticizing the increased human rights violations in the Indian Occupied Kashmir, the spokesperson said:

Our position is well known on this issue. We have repeatedly expressed concerns on the systematic violation of human rights violations in the IOK. We have made consistent efforts to alleviate the sufferings of Kashmiris and we have emphasized the need on making the life comfortable for Kashmiris.

Asked to give an update on the Kishanganga and Baghlihar issues, the spokesperson said:

There will be a meeting on Baghlihar. We are also expecting the interim decision by the neutral expert next month which would be sent to the two governments for their comments. We expect the final judgment by the end of this year.

There have been some media reports about Pakistan rejecting or not accepting the revised plan provided by the Indian Government. As far as my information goes, the revised design also provides for the diversion of water which was our basic objection to the design. Since our concern has not been addressed, our objection to the design stays.