US-Pakistan ties: Allies to stand strong against leaked cables

Hillary, Zardari say WikiLeaks publications not only unauthorised but also out of context.

ISLAMABAD: As the WikiLeaks disclosures continue to wreak havoc across the globe, Pakistan and the United States have agreed not to allow the leaked diplomatic cables to cast a shadow on their strategic partnership.

In an effort at damage control, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton telephoned President Asif Ali Zardari on Thursday to discuss the Wikileaks controversy that appears to have rocked American diplomacy and bruised the public image of Pakistan’s top political and military leadership. This is the first high-level contact between the two countries since the WikiLeaks disclosure that provide an unprecedented look at the level of mistrust between Islamabad and Washington and America’s deep involvement in the country’s political affairs.

The two leaders talked about the recent publication of so-called memos and official correspondence, said a statement issued by the President House.

The release of over 500 of the 251,287 official messages that WikiLeaks has obtained put the Obama administration at odds with its key allies, including Pakistan.

Clinton assured Zardari that the leaked information will not affect ties between Pakistan and the US.

The US assurance is attributed to the fact that Pakistan has a major role to play in any solution to the conflict in Afghanistan, where Nato forces appear to be bogged down in a never-ending battle.

Analysts believe strained Pak-US ties at this stage could compound problems in the region for the Obama administration.

However, the two countries tried to play down the significance of the leaked communications and its implications.

The two leaders agreed that the WikiLeaks publications were not only unauthorised but also out of context, and were based on raw information that did not reflect the correct nature of the purported official correspondence, said the spokesperson for the president.

Farhatullah Babar told The Express Tribune that the so-called leaks of official memos was already a thing of the past and the president looks forward to the future and the promises it holds.

In her earlier reaction, Secretary Clinton said WikiLeaks’ actions undermined US foreign policy efforts and amounted to “an attack on the international community, the alliances and partnerships, the conventions and negotiations that safeguard global security and advance economic prosperity.”

Talking to APP, US special representative for Pakistan and Afghanistan Richard Holbrooke said the White House is confident that US-Pakistan friendship will withstand any negative effect from the documents released by WikiLeaks.

“I was at a high-level meeting at the White House this morning and we have decided that whatever the WikiLeaks say don’t change anything fundamental in our relationship,” he said.

Holbrooke also brushed aside fears on the safety and security of Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal.

“And as President Obama and Secretary Clinton have said repeatedly, we believe that the Pakistan government and those in charge of its arsenal have taken safeguards which are reassuring to us,” he added.

“These dreadful appalling leaks, which are so unfortunate, are not going to change US-Pakistan relations. We will continue (to advance the ties),” said the top diplomat, who talked to the Pakistani civilian and military leadership before the WikiLeaks disclosure.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 3^rd, 2010.