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The US Firmly Committed to The Future That The Pakistani People Deserve
The US Firmly Committed to The Future That The Pakistani People Deserve
By Merle David Kellerhals Jr.
The United States is tripling annual aid to Pakistan to help the Pakistani people achieve greater security and prosperity, President Obama says.
The U.S. Senate approved legislation September 24 to authorize U.S. aid totaling $7.5 billion spread equally over five years. Its approval came as the Friends of Democratic Pakistan, founded by 13 nations including the United States, met on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly in New York.
"The United States is firmly committed to the future that the Pakistani people deserve - a future that will advance our common security and prosperity," Obama said. "Just as we will help Pakistan strengthen the capacity that it needs to root out violent extremists, we are also committed to working ... to help Pakistan improve the basic services that its people depend upon - schools, roads and hospitals."
"The violent extremists within Pakistan pose a threat to the region, to the United States, and to the world," Obama said.
Ambassador Richard Holbrooke, the U.S. special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, said the commitment shown by the Senate in authorizing a five-year aid program is quite unusual in Congress, but also underscores how serious the security situation is. The measure was sponsored by the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, John Kerry, a Democrat, and Senator Richard Lugar, the senior Republican on the committee.
"There's a growing realization around the world that Pakistan is critically important in its own right, and it's also important in terms of the entire region, especially in Afghanistan," Holbrooke said at a press briefing.
The al-Qaida terrorist group is believed to be hiding in the tribal region of northwestern Pakistan, in the Hindu Kush mountain range that straddles eastern Afghanistan, northwestern Pakistan and northwestern India. The Taliban regime, which controlled Afghanistan before being routed by a U.S.-led coalition in late 2001, also is concentrated in the region.
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said at the Friends of Democratic Pakistan meeting that civilians and military personnel have sacrificed much in the struggle against violent extremism caused in large measure by the Taliban insurgency.
"The hardship visited on the Northwest Frontier Province and Federally Administered Tribal Areas calls for the continued solidarity of the international community," Ban said. "We must support humanitarian relief, recovery activities and the lasting transformation of these regions."
Donor nations previously pledged $5 billion in nonmilitary aid over two years after Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari pledged to fight against insurgents and to speed up economic reforms. On September 24, the World Bank and Pakistani government jointly announced a new donor trust fund to help with restoration of critical infrastructure and services in areas of the Swat Valley that have been subjected to intense fighting to rout insurgents.
"The stakes could not be higher. My nation is willing to pay the price," Zardari said in a prepared statement following the Friends meeting.
What foreign affairs decisions should President Obama consider? Comment on America.gov's blog Obama Today ( Obama Today | Following Barack Obama - Engaging the World - America.gov ).
(This is a product of the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: America - Engaging the World - America.gov)
The US Firmly Committed to The Future That The Pakistani People Deserve
By Merle David Kellerhals Jr.
The United States is tripling annual aid to Pakistan to help the Pakistani people achieve greater security and prosperity, President Obama says.
The U.S. Senate approved legislation September 24 to authorize U.S. aid totaling $7.5 billion spread equally over five years. Its approval came as the Friends of Democratic Pakistan, founded by 13 nations including the United States, met on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly in New York.
"The United States is firmly committed to the future that the Pakistani people deserve - a future that will advance our common security and prosperity," Obama said. "Just as we will help Pakistan strengthen the capacity that it needs to root out violent extremists, we are also committed to working ... to help Pakistan improve the basic services that its people depend upon - schools, roads and hospitals."
"The violent extremists within Pakistan pose a threat to the region, to the United States, and to the world," Obama said.
Ambassador Richard Holbrooke, the U.S. special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, said the commitment shown by the Senate in authorizing a five-year aid program is quite unusual in Congress, but also underscores how serious the security situation is. The measure was sponsored by the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, John Kerry, a Democrat, and Senator Richard Lugar, the senior Republican on the committee.
"There's a growing realization around the world that Pakistan is critically important in its own right, and it's also important in terms of the entire region, especially in Afghanistan," Holbrooke said at a press briefing.
The al-Qaida terrorist group is believed to be hiding in the tribal region of northwestern Pakistan, in the Hindu Kush mountain range that straddles eastern Afghanistan, northwestern Pakistan and northwestern India. The Taliban regime, which controlled Afghanistan before being routed by a U.S.-led coalition in late 2001, also is concentrated in the region.
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said at the Friends of Democratic Pakistan meeting that civilians and military personnel have sacrificed much in the struggle against violent extremism caused in large measure by the Taliban insurgency.
"The hardship visited on the Northwest Frontier Province and Federally Administered Tribal Areas calls for the continued solidarity of the international community," Ban said. "We must support humanitarian relief, recovery activities and the lasting transformation of these regions."
Donor nations previously pledged $5 billion in nonmilitary aid over two years after Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari pledged to fight against insurgents and to speed up economic reforms. On September 24, the World Bank and Pakistani government jointly announced a new donor trust fund to help with restoration of critical infrastructure and services in areas of the Swat Valley that have been subjected to intense fighting to rout insurgents.
"The stakes could not be higher. My nation is willing to pay the price," Zardari said in a prepared statement following the Friends meeting.
What foreign affairs decisions should President Obama consider? Comment on America.gov's blog Obama Today ( Obama Today | Following Barack Obama - Engaging the World - America.gov ).
(This is a product of the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: America - Engaging the World - America.gov)
