ISLAMABAD, Aug 15: US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs, Richard A. Boucher, said on Wednesday that the United States was committed to a long-term strategic relationship with Pakistan and allayed Pakistan’s concerns about recent hostile US statements.
In separate meetings with President General Pervez Musharraf and Foreign Minister Khurshid Kasuri, he said that there existed a solid foundation for such a relationship.
An official told Dawn that the US assistant secretary of state said the US highly valued relationship with Pakistan and admired the role being played by the country in the fight against terrorism.
Referring to the recent US statements, Mr Boucher underlined that the US policy was reflected in various statements by President Bush and Secretary Rice emphasising the importance of Pakistan-US partnership and the need for the two countries to work together.
The official said President General Pervez Musharraf raised the issue of anti-Pakistan statements emanating from Washington and the legislation attaching conditionalities to future assistance.
“The recent US statements against the sovereignty of Pakistan were counter-productive to the close cooperation between the two countries,” he quoted President Musharraf as saying.
Several issues came under discussion during the Musharraf-Boucher meeting, including the Pakistan-US relations, Pakistan-Afghan peace jirga, India-US nuclear agreement and cooperation in various areas.
Foreign Minister Khurshid Kasuri during his meeting with Mr Boucher said the long-term strategic relationship between Pakistan and the United States was in the interest of both the countries and for durable peace and security in the region.
He stressed that such a relationship should be based on mutual trust and confidence.
He said that Pakistan was making valuable contribution and immense sacrifices in fighting extremism and terrorism.He said that certain recent US statements could be counterproductive to the close cooperation between the two countries.
The foreign minister expressed concern over the recent US legislation entitled “Implementation of 9/11 Commission Recommendations Act 2007” which lays down conditionalities relating to security assistance to Pakistan. He said such legislation reminded the Pressler Amendment, which had negatively impacted the bilateral relations, and was contrary to the spirit of Pakistan-US strategic relationship.
The foreign minister and Mr Boucher welcomed the outcome of the recent joint peace jirga and expressed the hope that the follow up mechanism established by the jirga would help move the process forward.
They also discussed the next round of strategic dialogue between the two countries to be held in September 2007. The dialogue would cover the entire gamut of Pakistan-US relations, including institutional mechanisms pertaining to promoting cooperation in the fields of economy, education, energy, and science and technology.
Pakistan’s energy needs and the US-India civil nuclear energy agreement were also discussed during the meeting.
Assistant Secretary Boucher is on his fourth visit to Pakistan this year as part of the regular consultations the two sides hold periodically.