US seeks Chinas help on Pakistan
Published: September 28, 2011
NEW YORK/ISLAMABAD (Agencies) - US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has asked her Chinese counterpart to begin a dialogue on Pakistan, given that the two countries share close ties with Islamabad, officials familiar with the talks said.
We have stated this before, but theres clearly urgency given recent developments and also given the close relationship that exists between Pakistan and China, said a senior State Department official on condition of anonymity. Such a request by Clinton gains significance given the strained relationship between the US and Pakistan in the last few weeks.
Clinton met the Chinese Foreign Minister, Yang Jiechi, in New York on the sidelines of the on-going 66th session of the United Nations General Assembly. Besides Pakistan, Clinton and Yang also tackled Taiwan, North Korea and tensions over Chinas claims to the South China Sea as well as global economic issues, the American official said.
In another important development in Islamabad, US Ambassador Cameron Munter called on President Asif Ali Zardari at the Aiwan-e-Sadr on Tuesday. Bilateral relations were discussed during the meeting.
Staff Reporter adds: Pakistan Tuesday called upon the US-led forces in Afghanistan to check and curb cross-border attacks.
Foreign Secretary Salman Bashir repeated this demand while talking to the US Ambassador Cameron Munter who called on him for the second time in 24 hours. According to informed sources, both the officials discussed matters relating to bilateral ties, regional security and ways and means to build trust between the two estranged partners in the war against terror.
Ambassador Munter insisted that his country did not want to destabilise Pakistan; rather it wanted to continue special relations with Islamabad. Both the officials agreed to maintain regular interaction and engagement between the two countries to do away with the trust deficit that has led the Pak-US ties to a lower ebb.
Salman Bashir, according to the sources, said that Pakistan wanted close relations with the US, emphasising that blame game was no solution to the challenges.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Gilani warned the United States on Tuesday to stop accusing it of playing a double game with militants, and said Washington must correct a perceived tilt towards India.
Gilani, speaking in an exclusive interview with Reuters, also said any unilateral military action by the United States to hunt down militants of the Haqqani network inside Pakistan would be a violation of his countrys sovereignty.
However, speaking from his office in Islamabad, he side-stepped a string of questions on the tense relations with the United States and offered no indications of any steps Pakistan might take to soothe the current fury in Washington.
The United States military chief last week described the Haqqani network as a veritable arm of Pakistans ISI spy agency and accused Islamabad of providing support for the groups September 13 attack on the US embassy in Kabul.
The negative messaging, naturally that is disturbing my people, Gilani said in the interview. If there is messaging that is not appropriate to our friendship, then naturally it is extremely difficult to convince my public. Therefore they should be sending positive messages.
Asked for his view on why the United States had suddenly ratcheted up its criticism of Pakistan, he implied that it reflected frustration with the war in Afghanistan ahead of a withdrawal of US troops from the country in 2014.
Certainly they expected more results from Afghanistan, which they have not been able to achieve as yet, he said. They have not achieved what they visualised.
Rejecting allegations that Islamabad was behind any violence across its border, he said: It is in the interest of Pakistan to have a stable Afghanistan.
Gilani said Washington should provide the political space for his government to convince a sceptical Pakistani public of the value of a relationship with the United States.
However, anti-Americanism is rampant in Pakistan and reached new heights after US Navy SEALs killed Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden at his Pakistan townhouse hideout in May.
A Pew Research Centre survey of Pakistanis in June found that 69 per cent saw Washington as an enemy and 47 per cent were very worried about a military threat from the United States.
Gilani said anti-Americanism in Pakistan was partly a result of an imbalance between Washingtons relationship with India and Pakistan.
Much of the Pakistani public believes that since the end of the Cold War, the United States has tilted towards India.
Gilani pointed out that Washington had struck a deal on civilian nuclear cooperation with New Delhi but not Islamabad.
There is an acute shortage of electricity in Pakistan. And there are riots. And the opposition is playing to the gallery because there is a shortage of electricity, he said.
But they (the United States) are doing the civilian nuclear deal not with Pakistan, but with India. Now how can I convince my public that they are your (Pakistans) friends and not the friends of India? ... the perception matters.
Asked how Islamabad would respond if there was a unilateral military operation by the United States inside Pakistan to go after the Haqqanis, Gilani responded: We are a sovereign country. How can they come and raid in our country?
He said Islamabad had conveyed to US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton that such unilateral action will not be acceptable to Pakistan.
We want to maintain relations with the United States, but at the same time, we have to protect the sovereignty of the country, he added.
The Haqqanis leader told Reuters last week that the group is no longer based in the tribal mountainous Pakistani region of North Waziristan and feels secure operating in Afghanistan.
Staff Reporter adds: Terming Pakistan as all-weather friend, Chinese Vice Premier Meng Jianzhu extended unflinching and all-out support to Pakistans sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity. Reciprocating the same sentiments, Premier Gilani said, Your friends are our friends, your enemies are our enemies and your security is our security.
During the meeting with the Chinese Vice PM, who called on PM Gilani here at Prime Minister House in Islamabad, the Prime Minister quoted his speech on the floor of House in which he said, Pak-China friendship is higher than mountains, deeper than oceans, stronger than steel and sweeter than honey.
The Prime Minister referred to the visit of the Chinese Premier last year when he addressed the Parliament, leaving memorable impact on the people of Pakistan and parliamentarians.
The Prime Minister said that he had an excellent visit to China in May this year and held very useful meetings with the Chinese President and the Prime Minister on a wide range of issues including trade, communication, culture, defence and terrorism.
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