PRESS CONFERENCE BY PRESIDENT OF PAKISTAN

PRESS CONFERENCE BY PRESIDENT OF PAKISTAN

Pakistan had not hesitated to join the international coalition against terrorism, but it hoped that military operations in Afghanistan would be “sharp and targeted” and advance quickly to political and economic reconstruction, Pervez Musharraf, President of Pakistan, told correspondents at a headquarters press conference this afternoon.

“We tried to persuade the Taliban to be responsive to international opinion; regrettably our efforts failed”, Mr. Musharraf said.  The ensuing conflict was not a war, he emphasized, but an operation against terrorists.  Injuries to innocent Afghani people must be avoided.  At the same time, a political process must be promoted, to ensure a stable, peaceful and intact Afghanistan, he said.  Such stability could only come from a broad-based government representing all ethnic groups. 

On the issue of Kashmir, he said Pakistan stood ready to resume a dialogue with India, in the interest of peace in the region.  He had welcomed, he said, the discussions at Agra.  The conflict must be addressed in accordance with international norms and the wishes of the people. 

Expressing sympathy with the people of the United States over their losses in the 11 September terrorist attacks, he said he also shared the concerns of the local Pakistani community over reprisals.  Since Pakistan was part of the coalition against terrorism, such unfair reprisals would be especially hurtful, he said.

Correspondents asked several questions about Mr. Musharraf’s meetings with the President of Iran and the Saudi Foreign Minister.  Those discussions, not surprisingly, had focused on Afghanistan, he replied.  All three countries were very much concerned with the conflict, and they needed to develop a common understanding and strategy regarding the issue.  Pakistan, he said, should never be standing alone, during or after the conflict. 

He said that priority in discussions with President Bush would be the post-conflict situation in Afghanistan.  While the military strategy was very much in evidence, there was no sign yet of the political and rehabilitation strategy.  It was crucial that a political void did not recur in that country, along with the resumption of fighting between warlords.  A political strategy should be pursued, based on Afghan self-determination; a rehabilitation strategy should be put in place as soon as military objective were achieved. 

In response to questions about the economic burden placed on Pakistan by the conflict, he said he looked forward to assistance from various sources.  The figure of $2.2 billion in losses, which had been quoted, was a projection of export losses.  But there were positive signs in that area.  The first had been the European Union’s easing of market access to Pakistani goods, reducing duties and increasing quotas.  Pakistan was looking for the same kind of access to the United States market for its textiles.

Asked whether various Afghan figures should be part of a representative government in Afghanistan, Mr. Musharraf said that within the parameters he had described, the most important consideration was a home-grown political solution.  If the people of Afghanistan thought, for example, that Zahir Shah was acceptable across ethnic groups, no one outside should deny him that role.

When a correspondent asked whether Mr. Musharraf thought Osama bin Laden possessed weapons of mass destruction, he said he could not imagine him having nuclear weapons, given the complexity of developing and controlling them.  Chemical weapons, on the other hand, were more of a possibility, but he had no specific information.

One correspondent wondered whether Afghans would either forget or forgive Pakistan for being the primary supporters of the Taliban.  Mr. Musharraf denied that was the case, saying that Pakistan had to deal with the Taliban due to the realities on the ground -- they had been the only party in control of a neighbouring country. 

But having political relations with a party did not mean accepting everything they did, he continued.  The Taliban were not created by Pakistan, they were indigenous, and Pakistan was neither equipping them nor cooperating with them militarily.  “Whatever military resources we have”, he said, “there is an Eastern direction we would like to concentrate them on”, not on Afghanistan.

Correspondents inquired about the questions of Palestine and Kashmir.  Mr. Musharraf said that, in his speech before the General Assembly, he identified the root cause of terrorism as the ongoing conflicts around the world which needed to be resolved, Palestine and Kashmir in particular.  In both cases, he said, the question needed to be asked:  who were the terrorists?  In cases where States had not implemented Security Council resolutions, were the terrorists the people fighting for that implementation, or the intransigent States?  This was a stand he would take openly and discuss with President Bush as well.

Pressed on whether he thought the long Kashmir conflict could ever be resolved after decades of impasse, Mr. Musharraf said the question needed to be put to Prime Minister Vajpayee of India.  Economic cooperation in South Asia was sorely needed; an arms race had to be avoided.  Pakistan had frozen its military budget, but the defence forces had to be reduced and the region had to be denuclearized.  The two countries had to move forward sincerely.  A declaration had been drafted at Agra, but unfortunately India had backed out.  “A table and two chairs were even ready for the signing ceremony”, he said.  

Finally, he said he did not think that perspectives on the Kashmir situation had been altered by the Afghanistan conflict.  He looked forward to restarting dialogue; Pakistan had issued an invitation to do so, now the ball was in India’s court.  The Indian community in the United States, he said, should put pressure on their Government to restart the negotiating process.

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