Indian N-deal won’t affect ties with Pakistan: Bush
By Our Correspondent
WASHINGTON, March 21: US President George W. Bush has rejected the suggestion that concluding a nuclear deal with India would strain America’s relations with Pakistan. In a speech delivered in Cleveland on Monday, Mr Bush urged the US Congress to approve the deal he signed with India earlier this month, although he acknowledged that the accord “flies in the face of old Cold War attitudes, as well as arms control thinking”.
The remarks followed questions from the audience.
Emphasising that it’s very important for the US to stay engaged with Pakistan, Mr Bush said that his administration was negotiating an investment treaty with Islamabad, “with the hopes of being able to eventually develop more trade with Pakistan, in the belief that trade helps nations develop stability, and prosperity is achieved through trade”.
Mr Bush said it was in the US interest to have a close relationship with India, and at the same time, maintain relations with Pakistan. “And it’s possible to do so. And we are doing so,” he said.
In reply to a question, Mr Bush said: “It is a positive development for America to be a friend of Pakistan — it’s a positive development for India for America to be a friend of Pakistan, and it’s a positive development for Pakistan for America to be a friend of India.”
Describing America’s ability to maintain good relations with both the countries as “an important accomplishment,” Mr Bush said it would help keep peace in South Asia.
“I don’t view our relationships with Pakistan and India as a zero-sum relationship. As a matter of fact, I view our relationships with both countries as different sets of issues and the need to nurture both relationships to achieve common objectives. And we’re in a position to be able to do so now,” he said.
Mr Bush also partly endorsed Afghanistan’s claim that Al Qaeda and Taliban leaders were hiding in Pakistan.
Calling President Pervez Musharraf a friend to the US, Mr Bush said the Pakistan leader “understands that he must help root out Al Qaeda, which is hiding in parts of his country.”
