Rice on India-Pakistan Ties: Optimistic on Solution of Issues  
By MD Malik - Pakistan Times Federal Bureau Chief

ISLAMABAD: US Secretary of States Condoleezza Rice Thursday reaffirmed Washington's commitment to have a broad-based, long-term partnership with Pakistan and encouraged both Islamabad and New Delhi to continue their efforts to resolve their outstanding disputes including Kashmir.

"I have a very productive discussions during my meetings here. We admired the courage of the Pakistani leadership and its people in the fight against terrorism", she told reporters while addressing a joint press conference with Foreign Minister Khurshid Kasuri after formal talks.

Rice, who is on her first visit to the region since assuming office in January, said the United States would encourage Pakistan and India to continue to make progress to improve relations. It is important for them to remove barriers and enhance interaction.

She expressed the hope that the two countries would be able to resolve all their disputes including the issue of Kashmir.

Optimism on Kashmir

Responding to a question, Rice said she believed that in the course of the dialogue process there would be resolution of all disputes, including Kashmir, between the two South Asian neighbors. She noted that the ongoing process of engagement would improve the atmosphere.

"All the parties, including Pakistan, India and Kashmiris believe they have a future which is secure and peaceful and free of terrorism and violence," she said.

Rice said all matters, including violence and terrorism, should be tackled to ensure peace in the region. She said there were difficulties in the Pakistan-India dialogue process, but expressed the hope that it would make progress.

Role of the US

Answering a question about US role in Pakistan-India talks, she said US had been encouraging the dialogue process but a role beyond that would require agreement of the two parties.

To a question on the suffering of the Kashmiri people, Rice said that the US was of the view that people anywhere in the world who were denied liberties as enjoyed by Americans should not continue to suffer for long.

Rice said they also talked about the need to end violence. "There are a number of issues that need to be dealt with by all the parties and we have been clear to Pakistan (and) to India as to what we consider their responsibilities should be".

Rice said the two sides also discussed the defence needs of Pakistan and the military balance in the region.

Of Nuclear Proliferation

On the issue of nuclear proliferation, Rice said the nuclear black marketing was a threat not only to the United States but also to Pakistan, the region and the international community.

"We have had cooperation with Pakistan to try and make sure that the (black) market is broken and to get as much information as possible," she added.

Dr. Rice said it was important to make sure that the tentacles of the nuclear black market were also broken as well, adding that the US had cooperation with a number of countries in this regard.

She said it was important to know and ensure that the nuclear black-market network did not continue to operate in any way and that there were necessary safeguards against this kind of nuclear entrepreneurship in future.

Dr. A.Q. Khan

Condoleezza Rice said that the United States wants to crush the "tentacles" of a black market, what she contended as; "run by Pakistan's nuclear scientist Abdul Qadeer Khan."

"It is a network that we want to make certain that its tentacles are broken up as well," Rice viewed.

She said; "the United States has had cooperation from Pakistan to try to ensure the network is broken up and to get as much information as possible."

"I do not doubt that we all have an interest in knowing what happened, that we all have (an) interest in making sure that this network cannot... continue to operate in any way," she remarked.

Dr. A Q Khan is treated in Pakistan as the national hero and is the father of its nuclear bomb.

Pakistan has repeatedly said it would not allow any foreign country or agency to interrogate the nuclear scientist.

"Most importantly we all have an interest in knowing how it happened, so that we can safeguard against this kind of entrepreneurship in the future," Rice said.

Strides towards Democracy

Rice also noted Pakistan's strides towards democracy and gave credit to President Musharraf and people of Pakistan for this and for the progress made in education and other areas.

She said US would continue to work with Pakistan and looked forward to the evolution of democratic path towards elections in 2007.

The Secretary of State appreciated Pakistan's cooperation in the war on terrorism and admired the courage of Pakistani leadership in combating the menace.

Rice also appreciated educational and economic reforms in Pakistan. She said President Bush had pledged three billion dollars support to Pakistan over the next five years. Pakistan and US have very broad-based and deep relationship, the Secretary of State said.

Dr. Rice also commended Pakistan's role in stabilizing the situation in Afghanistan. She said due to Pakistan's contribution the economy and trade relations had improved in the region.

President Bush Keen to visit India, Pakistan

Condoleezza Rice said that she never has belief on clash of civilizations’ theory. While conveying US President George W. Bush’s keenness for visit to India and Pakistan, she said the US President would visit the two giant economies of South Asia.

Rice observed that Iranian government was needlessly interfering internal affairs of its bordering countries. She informed that US government has not only warned India but also Japan against purchasing gas from Iran.

Kasuri expresses Satisfaction

Foreign Minister Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri, expressing satisfaction over the talks, said the wide-ranging discussions covered bilateral relations as well as regional and international issues.

Kasuri said he discussed steps with Dr. Rice to take the partnership to a new and higher level of engagement.

"We reviewed our bilateral cooperation and agreed to promote greater collaboration in the areas of security and defence as well as in the economic and technological fields," Kasuri said. He said both sides also focused on the importance of increasing US market access for Pakistani products.

The Foreign Minister expressed satisfaction at the progress made with India on a number of confidence building measures.

Kasuri told Dr. Rice that Pakistan desires durable peace with India and pointed out that this could only be achieved by resolving all outstanding issues, especially the Kashmir dispute.

He said the issue of water security for Pakistan was also raised in the meeting and he discussed the Baglihar dam and the
Kishan Ganga dam being built by India.

Kasuri said the situation in Afghanistan also figured during the talks. Rice lauded the support extended by Pakistan for stabilization and reconstruction of Afghanistan.

Topics of Talks

Both the sides exchanged views on UN Security Council reforms, non-proliferation and the global war on terrorism. Kasuri said Pakistan looked forward to working closely with Secretary of State Rice in building a strong and enduring relationship between Pakistan and the United States.

Earlier, in his opening remarks, Foreign Minister Kasuri said he has great respect for Rice's intellectual vigour, grasp of history and vision for a better future. He said he is confident that during her stewardship of US foreign policy bilateral relationship, which has assumed a strategic dimension, would contribute to global and regional peace, stability and prosperity.

Enlightened Moderation

Kasuri said both Pakistan and US remain engaged in broadening and deepening multifaceted relationship on a long-term basis for the mutual benefit of the two countries.

He said during her visit to Pakistan, Secretary of State Rice called on President Pervez Musharraf and praised him for his courage and vision in promoting peace and stability in the region and for his concept of Enlightened Moderation.

He said Dr. Rice had earlier called on Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz and during these meetings the Secretary of State reiterated the commitment of the US to an expanded and sustainable long-term partnership with Pakistan.

Visits Kabul

The US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice visited Afghanistan Thursday on her first trip to the war-torn country, where she held talks on reconstruction, drugs and terrorism.

Rice flew in on a US Air Force C-130 Hercules aircraft from the Pakistani capital Islamabad on the third stop of a six-nation tour of Asia which is also taking in India, China, South Korea and Japan.

The top US official have had an in-depth meeting with the Afghan President Hamid Karzai, Foreign Minister Abdullah Abdullah, and top American diplomats and military officials.

Bombs Blasts

Another report from Kabul says that suspected Taliban militants set off two bombs in the southern Afghan city of Kandahar Thursday, killing five people and injuring 31 hours after US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice arrived in the Afghanistan's capital.

Kandahar security chief General Salim Khan told a foreign news agency that the first remote controlled device hidden in a parcel tore through a passing taxi in the city's Hazrat Jibaba area. It killed five people and injured bystanders. Two women, one child and two men died, he said.

The second bomb went off simultaneously at Panjaw, a suburb four kilometres (2.4 miles) from central Kandahar, on the road to the major western city of Herat, he added.

After a day-long stay in Kabul, the US Secretary of State returned to Islamabad late on Thursday for more talks with Pakistani officials.●