Pakistan to give a 'considered response': US request for troops
By Arshad Sharif
BHURBAN, April 13: Pakistan will give a considered response to a US request for sending troops to Iraq under the United Nations umbrella, says Foreign Minister Khursheed Kasuri.
The minister said this after addressing a seminar on the foreign policy processes of Pakistan. The seminar, organised by an NGO, was attended by a number of parliamentarians.
Asked about Pakistan's response to the US proposal for sending troops to Iraq as part of a UN multinational force, Mr Kasuri said: "I have been informed about it but would give a detailed response after due deliberation."
Mr Kasuri said: "We have to consider the context." Pakistan has been asking for a central UN role in Iraq and will take a decision after examining the UN role in this regard.
About the situation in Iraq, Mr Kasuri said: "International approach must be guided by the objective of restoring Iraq's sovereignty and political independence, ensuring its unity and territorial integrity, upholding the right of the Iraqi people to determine their own future and giving a central role to the UN."
PAK-US RELATIONS: About relations between Pakistan and the United States, the foreign minister said both countries' policies were driven by their best national interests. If there was a difference of opinion "we make our views known", he said.
Citing an example, the foreign minister said that at the time of voting on UN resolutions on Iraq, Pakistan made its views known to the US and did not vote in favour of the resolution.
He said the US or any other country could not ask Pakistan to abandon its vital security or strategic interests. Mr Kasuri said that close relations between Pakistan and the US saw a decline during the 1990's following the withdrawal of Soviet troops from Afghanistan.
"This had been unfortunate because US indifference to Afghanistan and its punitive sanctions against Pakistan complicated the situation in the region, especially it pushed Afghanistan into total collapse and civil war which allowed it to become a base for terrorism."
Referring to the postponement of talks on Srinagar-Muzaffarabad bus service, the foreign minister said both India and Pakistan had responded positively to the peace overtures. He said there were some details which the Indians said had to be sorted out and most probably after the Indian elections things would move forward in this regard. Mr Kasuri further said Pakistan expected the talks to be held soon.
Emphasising the centrality of the Kashmir issue, he said Pakistan had made it clear that it should be part of a composite dialogue. On involvement of the Kashmiri leadership in the talks, he said that at every stage Pakistan was taking them (Kashmiri leaders) into confidence at the highest level. The Kashmiris should be included in the peace process sooner rather than later, he added.
When asked if Pakistan had received a response from India over its offer for talks on nuclear confidence-building measures, the foreign minister said a reply would be received in due course of time. He reiterated that Pakistan was serious in addressing the issue of nuclear CBMs.
Mr Kasuri said the current Pak-India peace initiative enjoyed the backing and support of the international community. Asked if a controversy over President Pervez Musharraf's uniform would have an impact on Pakistan's entry into the Commonwealth or its relations with the EU, the foreign minister said Pakistan's democratic credentials should be judged on merit and benchmarks.
The EU or the Commonwealth should not be concerned about internal matters of Pakistan, he said, adding the issue of the president's uniform was purely an internal matter of Pakistan.
