Hillary, Gates vow sustained US engagement with Pakistan
Wednesday, October 07, 2009
WASHINGTON: Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Defense Secretary Robert Gates vowed a sustained US engagement with Pakistan and Afghanistan, with the top American diplomat acknowledging that the Pakistanis are rightful in asking about United States long-term commitment to their country.
Secretary Clinton commended the current Pakistani governments resolve to fight out militants in the restive Afghan border region, saying that level of commitment was missing in the past. Well, what we say is that we want to be supportive and provide assistance. And we want to ramp that up, Clinton told CNN in a joint appearance with Secretary Gates.
The panel discussion with the top Obama administration leaders by CNNs Christiane Amanpour and the channels former Washington Bureau Chief Frank Sesno took place at the George Washington University.
To back up her argument, Clinton cited last weeks passage of the $7.5 billion Kerry-Lugar-Berman Bill by the US Congress, calling it a very important piece of legislation, that made a commitment to additional aid for Pakistans civilian government and to deliver services to the people of Pakistan.
So we are telling them (Pakistanis) that we think that this is an important (anti-terror) commitment that theyve made. But, again, I would just ask to you put this in some historic perspective...we partnered with Pakistan to supply the Mujahideen with the weapons and training that they needed to defeat the Soviet Union in Afghanistan, once that was accomplished, we left, said Clinton.
She was asked about the recent statements made by the Pakistani president, the prime minister and the foreign minister on Washington showing long-standing commitment to the region at this critical moment and in the light of an intense debate within the Obama Administration on finding a workable way forward in the region, particularly in conflict-wrecked Afghanistan.
And Pakistan feels like we left them holding the bag, because all of a sudden they were awash in weapons, they were awash in drugs. They had all of these, you know, Jihadists who had been trained up in conjunction with us. And, you know, we know what happened. We saw that occurring in Afghanistan.
So I think its rightful of the Pakistanis to say, Well, how long will your commitment be? How much will you be by our side as we take on these threats to us and, by the way, also to you? she added.
Secretary Clinton said in its discussions the Obama Administration was defining our objectives, and were then trying to set forth the strategy and the tactics to achieve those objectives.
Secretary Gates also reaffirmed Washingtons commitment to forge ties with Pakistan over the long haul and cited assurance he gave to Islamabads Ambassador in Washington Husain Haqqani last week.
Well, first of all, I think that there is absolutely no reason for the president not to consider very carefully the next steps in Afghanistan. I had lunch with the Pakistani ambassador last week, and I made absolutely clear to him that we are not leaving Afghanistan.
Gates said fostering partnership and trust with Pakistan was a strategic objective of the United States. The discussion underway within the administration is about next steps forward, he stated.
And the president has some momentous decisions to make. And while there may be some short-term uncertainty on the part of our allies, in terms of those next steps, there should be no uncertainty in terms of our determination to remain in Afghanistan and to continue to build a relationship of partnership and trust with the Pakistanis. Thats long term. Thats a strategic objective of the United States for for a number of reasons that Pakistan is a strategically important country.
In answer to a question, Gates said Pakistani intelligence developed a close relationship with the Mujahideen during the US-supported Jihad against the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan in the 1980s but emphasised that the clear path forward is for us to underscore to the Pakistanis that we we are not going to turn our backs on them as we did in 1989 and 1990.
We turned our backs on Afghanistan. We turned our backs on Pakistan. They were left to deal with the situation in Afghanistan on their own. Their worry is what happens in the future. Will we be there? Will we be a constant presence? Will we be supportive of them over the long term?
I think, in terms of the way they look at Afghanistan, the way they look at the region, it depends on the degree of confidence that they have in us that we will be a reliable partner of theirs going forward. I think that shapes the view of the Pakistani government, and that includes the ISI. Gates warned a victory by insurgents in Afghanistan would allow al-Qaeda to resume a foothold in the country and provide it with a hugely empowering message.