WASHINGTON: President Asif Ali Zardari met with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in New York on Monday where he said that Pakistan would rather do trade with the US than depend on aid.
Thanking Clinton for US assistance to Pakistan, he urged the US to focus on larger projects and greater access to the US market. He also invited the US to partner with Pakistan in the Diamer-Bhasha dam project, saying this will “dispel the impression that the US only works to its own priorities in Pakistan”.
“We should build on the positive momentum,” Zardari said while discussing the Pak-US relationship.
Anti-Islam video
Expressing Pakistan’s dismay over the anti-Islam video made in the US, Zardari told Clinton that a few people should not be allowed to endanger the world peace. “One or two insane persons should not be allowed to endanger world peace in the garb of freedom of expression,” he said.
According to a report by Radio Pakistan, Clinton thanked Zardari and Pakistan in handling several days of violent anti-US protests, and helping protect American diplomats, who were in many instances the direct target of such violence.
Clinton greeted Zardari as “my friend” and introduced him to the new US ambassador to Pakistan, Richard Olson, whom she said she had just been sworn in so he could attend their talks, the report stated.
“We very much appreciate the strong response of your government,” she said, at the start of their meeting in New York, held on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, which opens on Tuesday.
Zardari said it had been “a difficult time for all of us” before reporters were ushered out of the room.
Peace, stability in Afghanistan
In the meeting which lasted for an hour, Zardari and Clinton discussed the situation in Afghanistan, according to a press release issued by the Embassy of Pakistan.
The president told Clinton how Pakistan and the US could cooperate in helping bring peace and stability in Afghanistan.
The press release said, “The president assured Clinton that Pakistan was prepared to do everything in its power to help an Afghan-owned and Afghan-led reconciliation process in Afghanistan. He also conveyed that peace and stability in Pakistan were tied to peace and stability in Afghanistan.”
Zardari added, “No country has paid a higher price for the conflict in Afghanistan than Pakistan.”
The meeting was attended by US Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan Marc Grossman, new US ambassador to Pakistan Richard Olson, Deputy Secretary Tom Nides and White House Deputy National Security Advisor General (retd) Doug Lute. The Pakistani side was represented by Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar, Foreign Secretary Jalil Abbas Jilani, Ambassador Sherry Rehman, Awami National Party (ANP) leader Asfandyar Wali, Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) leader Farooq Sattar and the Prime Minister’s Advisor on Human Rights Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar.
The two leaders last met in Chicago in May this year on the sidelines of the Nato Summit. Zardari is due to address the UN General Assembly on Tuesday.
A Foreign Office representative said Zardari would not be meeting US President Barack Obama, but is due to attend a reception on Monday evening for heads of states visiting New York, which the US president is expected to attend.
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and what would you sell?
Yawn! 4 years old news!
For trade you need a society free from electric outages,bhatta,kidnapping,policy,judiciary,law and order and a liberal secular society.Otherwise we will only export terror and surprise surprise suddenly no one is interested in terror,least of all amrika saheb bahadur!
Feeka does not like dependency whether trade or aid. Feeka likes no arrogance from friends.
That sounds grand --- the USA is already your largest export market --- so what do you make that they have overlooked? It's not like the USA has been actively seeking more textiles - and they don't need nuke technology.