March 2, 2002	Saturday	Zilhaj 17, 1422

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NEW YORK, March 1: Calling for the creation of “new structures of global strategic stability “ through cooperation among major powers, Pakistan’s ambassador to the United States, Maleeha Lodhi, said on Thursday that the most effective way to respond to the world’s political and economic challenges was to pursue a cooperative and not a unilateralist course of action.

Speaking at the Reuters forum at the Columbia University’s School of Journalism on “Fear Economy — Global Cooperation or Isolationism”, she said that in the aftermath of the Sept 11 attacks, there was no doubt a serious temptation for the US — the dominant global power — to go it alone; to take the political and economic actions it believed necessary to promote its security and its economic recovery.

Ms Maleeha said: “So far, the US may not have taken such unilateral actions. But the perception in much of the world is that unilateral actions could follow the declarations that America can and should act alone.”

She was of the view that cooperation between major global players must cover the political causes of current insecurity and uncertainty (which often also spawn terrorism) for the resolution of conflicts, military and political repression of peoples and human rights violations.

“Cooperation must also be sustained between the major powers — US, Russia, China — to construct a new and stable mechanism to preserve international peace and security. Such cooperation will need to include several other major regional players in Europe, Middle East, and also include Japan, India, Pakistan and Turkey.

“Such cooperation can address: one, global strategic stability, including a new offensive-defensive mix of capabilities to preserve deterrence; two, arms control and disarmament, including Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD), and three, other ways and means to preserve global and regional security and stability.”

The ambassador said China had liberalized gradually, at least over the 13 years of its negotiations to accede to the World Trade Organization.

“On the other hand, most other developing countries have not enjoyed such a handicap in the globalization process. They have been obliged, through WTO agreements and structural adjustment programmes, to unilaterally disarm, to give up the option of using trade policy tools for industrial expansion.

“Moreover, inequality has continued to escalate against the majority of the developing countries. Their commodity prices have registered a relentless decline in comparison to the goods exported by industrialized countries.”

Ms Lodhi said: “Clearly, international cooperation must address these problems of inequality and escalating poverty in the poorest countries. The answers are no secret: address the debt trap, increase official assistance to the poor countries, and ensure adequate investment flows to a wider spectrum than the 15 developing countries.”

She said the major global powers should endeavour to construct a truly equitable international economic structure whose three major components should be: i) debt resolution ii) increased official assistance to the poorest countries; and iii) a truly equitable trading system.

“Income generation in the poorest countries will help realize the aims of global economic revival and poverty reduction; it will facilitate the resolution of conflicts and disputes; and it will enhance global strategic stability. Surely, these are worthy goals to which we must turn the substantial resources and energies of the international community.”