WASHINGTON, Jan 28: US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld has assured Pakistan that the United States will fulfil the promises it has made in return for Islamabad’s cooperation in the war against terrorism, diplomatic sources told Dawn on Tuesday.
The assurance, given at a meeting with Foreign Minister Khurshid Mehmood Kasuri at the Pentagon on Monday, should help to defuse worries in Pakistan about a possible change in Washington’s attitude after the defeat of the Taliban and Al Qaeda in Afghanistan.
Mr Kasuri is the first senior member of the PML-Q government to visit Washington. He had his first official meeting with Mr Rumsfeld and is also due to meet Secretary of State Colin Powell, National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice and CIA Director George Tenet.
A US official described Mr Kasuri’s meeting with Mr Rumsfeld as “a friendly exchange of views on bilateral issues,” a phrase diplomats use when a meeting does not go beyond general policies.
The two sides discussed America’s military assistance to Pakistan “and the secretary of defence assured us that Washington will fulfil the promises it has made,” said Pakistan’s deputy chief of mission, Mohammed Sadiq.
“Pakistan’s cooperation in the war on terror also came up for discussion, and both sides expressed satisfaction with the global efforts to fight terrorism,” he added.
There was also “a general exchange of views on Kashmir,” Sadiq said. “We stated our position and Secretary Rumsfeld listened to our views with interest and understanding.” The issue is expected to be discussed in detail when Mr Kasuri meets Mr Powell on Wednesday.
Mr Rumsfeld and Mr Kasuri were also believed to have discussed the Iraqi crisis, when Mr Rumsfeld told the Pakistani foreign minister that the United States is coordinating its Iraq policy with its allies in the Middle East.
The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen Richard B. Myers, undersecretaries Douglas Feith and Dov Zeikham, and other senior officials participated in the meeting.
The Pakistani delegation included Pakistan ambassador Jehangir Ashraf Qazi.