Cameron Denies Terror Comments Damaged Relations With Pakistan Government
By Kitty Donaldson - Jul 29, 2010 4:51 AM EDT Thu Jul 29 08:51:50 UTC 2010
U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron denied he had damaged relations with Pakistan after saying the South Asian nation must not be allowed to promote the export of terror.
Cameron said his remarks, made yesterday after a speech in Bangalore, India, were aimed at people within Pakistan who are responsible for terrorism rather than the government.
I dont think its overshadowed anything, Cameron told broadcasters in New Delhi today. I think its important to speak frankly and clearly about these issues. I have always done that in the past and will do so in the future.
President Asif Ali Zardari will visit Britain next week and we have very good relations with Pakistan, he said.
Pakistan yesterday defended its record on fighting terrorism after Cameron said we cannot tolerate in any sense the idea that this country is allowed to look both ways and is able, in any way, to promote the export of terror, whether to India or whether to Afghanistan or anywhere else in the world.
There is no question of Pakistan looking the other way, Foreign Ministry spokesman Abdul Basit told BBC Radio 4.
Military documents published on the Wikileaks website this week suggested Pakistans main intelligence agency, the Inter- Services Intelligence Directorate, secretly aided the Taliban and other militant groups the U.S. is trying to defeat in Afghanistan.
Pakistan has said the 2008 terrorist attack on Mumbai, Indias financial hub, was at least partly planned on its soil and it has begun a secret trial of some members of Lakshar-e- Taiba, formed to fight Indian rule in the disputed territory of Kashmir.
To be fair to the Pakistan government they have taken action against these groups, Cameron said today. We need them to do more and
we will support and help them as they do more.
Cameron Denies Terror Comments Damaged Relations With Pakistan Government - Bloomberg
^^Zardari will prolly get a couple billion out of this.