Salvaging a partnership: ‘New deal', old fears

Clinton offers to address Pakistan’s concerns in return for action against Taliban, al Qaeda.

ISLAMABAD:

Pakistan and the United States on Friday pushed for a “new deal” in an effort to salvage their shaky anti-terror alliance at the crucial talks here on Friday among senior civil and military authorities from the two sides.

The new deal is designed to address the longstanding concerns of each other on issues which are central to their relationship, officials familiar with the discussions told The Express Tribune.

They said US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s talks with top Pakistani civil and military leadership covered some ground to ease tension but insisted that the relationship between the two countries was “still not out of the woods.”

Under tight security, Secretary Clinton flew into the capital as part of the latest effort to smoothen over strains in Pakistan-US relations following a series of events, particularly the death of al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden in Abbottabad.

At the talks with President Asif Zardari, Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani, Army chief General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani and ISI chief Lt-Gen Ahmed Shuja Pasha, Secretary Clinton was assisted by  US Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen.

Clinton offered that the US would address Pakistan’s legitimate concerns in post-war Afghanistan, ensure uninterrupted financial assistance, and consider end to drone strikes if Islamabad took “decisive steps” in the fight against terror in the days ahead.

Sources said that Secretary Clinton made certain demands which included action against militant groups, which Pakistan is allegedly protecting in a bid to achieve its long-term interests in the region.

It is believed that the US provided a list of specific militant leaders thought to have been hiding in Pakistan. Neither side would share the names, but America’s ABC News reported on Friday that the list includes three senior al Qaeda figures – Ayman al Zawahiri, Atiya Abdel Rahman and Ilyas Kashmiri – as well as Afghan Taliban leader Mullah Omar and Haqqani network commander Sirajuddin Haqqani.

The list does not only include militants the US wants Pakistan to target. In the case of Mullah Omar, Washington is interested in determining whether he can be a part of political reconciliation in Afghanistan, and is pushing the Pakistanis to facilitate such an outcome, ABC News quoted US officials as saying.

Sources disclosed that Secretary Clinton even hinted at halting the controversial drone strikes in the tribal belt if Pakistani security forces launched an operation against the Haqqani network based in the North Waziristan tribal region. However, the Pakistani leaders stopped short of giving any assurance on it, citing financial constraints and also the likely backlash of such an operation, the sources added.

It is learnt that though the two countries reached a broad understanding on taking joint action against any future “high-value targets” in Pakistan, differences remain on how to execute such a plan.

While the US wants its boots on the Pakistani soil to judge the country’s commitment to fight terror, Islamabad insists the move will invite strong public opposition.

At a joint news conference with Admiral Mullen, Secretary Clinton said relations between Pakistan and the United States had reached a “turning point.”

“This was an especially important visit because we have reached a turning point. Osama Bin Laden is dead but al Qaeda and his syndicate of terror remain a serious threat to us both,” she said.

Secretary Clinton said the United States was attempting to split the Taliban in Afghanistan from al Qaeda, and encourage those militants to reconcile with the Afghan government. While acknowledging Pakistan’s interests in a stable and secure Afghanistan, she noted that Pakistan needs to be more helpful.

“Many of the leaders of the Taliban continue to live in Pakistan,” she said. “Pakistan has the responsibility to help us help Afghanistan by preventing insurgents from waging war from Pakistani territory.”

Secretary Clinton also pointed out that Pakistan’s military leadership had committed to “some very specific action” against the militants. “The United States expects Pakistan to authorise a joint action against al Qaeda and its affiliates ... there is still much more work required and it is urgent … it is up to the government of Pakistan to take decisive steps in the days ahead.”

The US secretary of state acknowledged the sacrifices that Pakistan had made since joining the US-led “war against terror” following the 9/11 apocalypse. She admitted that those sacrifices were rarely discussed in the international media.

The discovery of Bin Laden in the garrison town of Abbottabad raised fresh doubts about Pakistan’s reliability as a US partner against militancy.

Clinton said Pakistani officials had told her “someone, somewhere” had been providing support for Bin Laden in Pakistan, but reiterated there was no evidence of any sort of complicity by senior government officials. “We are trying to untangle the puzzle of Bin Laden’s presence in Abbottabad,” she said. “But I want to stress again, that we have absolutely no reason to believe that anyone in the highest level of the government knew that.”

Clinton was unapologetic over the May 2 top-secret raid by US commandos in Abbottabad. Instead, she noted that Pakistan has a high concentration of militant leaders. “For the past decade, many of the world’s most vicious terrorists, including al Qaeda’s most important leaders, have been living in Pakistan,” she said.

She tried to address the growing anti-Americanism in Pakistan by suggesting that the conspiracy theories will not make the problems disappear.

“America cannot and should not solve Pakistan’s problems. That’s up to Pakistan. But in solving its problems, Pakistan should understand that anti-Americanism and conspiracy theories will not make problems disappear,” she added.

Admiral Mullen acknowledged that trust between the two nations’ militaries needed to be rebuilt. However, he added that it was in the interest of both countries to work together. “Now is not the time for retreat or for recrimination. Now is the time for action and closer cooperation, not less,” he said.

A separate statement issued by the Presidency said that the two countries committed to their long-term partnership. It was agreed to recommence the preparatory work for the strategic dialogue, the statement added. It also said the Pakistani leadership raised the issue of drone strikes with President Zardari calling for revisiting the policy.

With additional input from wires



Published in The Express Tribune, May 28^th, 2011.