Foreign Minister Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Friday asked for Nato and Pakistan's allies support for the democratically elected government through capacity building of its security forces and strengthening its economy. The minister said that the tribal belt of Pakistan, in particular, needed to be developed as the militants were exploiting the deprivation of the local population to achieve their nefarious designs.
He assured the Secretary General of Pakistan's intention to bring peace and stability in Afghanistan. The Foreign Minister met with Secretary General of Nato Jaap de Hoop Scheffer on the margins of the 63rd session of the UN General Assembly in New York, says a foreign office statement.
Qureshi said that Pakistan shared the objectives of international community in fight against terrorism and extremism, however, the approach to achieve those objectives could be different.
He said that the international community and its allies must be sensitive to Pakistan's concerns regarding any cross border attacks on its territory. Such attacks, he said, threatened to undermine the consensus emerging in Pakistan that it was fighting this war in its own interest, whereas, the militants were taking advantage of the attacks for propaganda purposes. He appreciated that Nato's position was closer to Pakistan's on the issue of respecting its sovereignty.
Qureshi also informed the Secretary General about the initiative of the Friends of Pakistan (FoP), which was intended to create global ownership of the current crisis in the region as it impacted not only the regional countries but the entire world. The Nato Secretary General appreciated the FoP initiative and offered to be part of it if it contained a security component. Nato, he emphasised, could do a lot in this regard and he promised to make personal efforts for the capacity building of the Pakistani security forces.
The Nato Secretary General expressed condolences over the bombing of the Marriott Hotel. He assured the Foreign Minister of Nato's support to Pakistan. He emphasised that Nato forces adhered to a strict policy of avoiding use of force inside sovereign Pakistani territory. Nato and Pakistan, he said, shared the same objectives as the innocent people of Pakistan were being killed by the same people who were killing Nato soldiers. He considered Pakistan to be part of the solution and not the problem.
The foreign minister also held bilateral meetings with the foreign ministers of Germany and Iran. In his meeting with the German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, he stressed that the fight against extremists was a global challenge adding the world must take ownership of this fight by standing alongside Pakistan.
Pakistan was engaged in implementing a comprehensive strategy to fight terrorism and extremism that included dialogue and economic development, in addition to use of force. He underlined the need for providing support to the democratically elected government of Pakistan so that it can deliver. The German Foreign Minister assured support to Pakistan in the current time of crisis.
In his meeting with Iranian Foreign Minister, Manoucheher Mottaki, Qureshi expressed satisfaction over the outcome of meeting between President Zardari and President Ahmadinejad. He hoped that the summit meeting would further cement relations during the forthcoming visit of Foreign Minister Mottaki to Pakistan. The decision to go ahead with the gas pipeline bilaterally would in particular give impetus to the economic relations between the two countries.
Qureshi underscored the need for exploring all possible avenues for strengthening bilateral relations between the two brotherly nations. The Iranian Foreign Minister condemned the terrorist bombing of the Marriott Hotel. He underlined the importance of co-operation to prevent the spread of extremism in the region.
He said that there was lot of scope for co-operation in the economic realm and agreed that the decision on the gas pipeline project was an important development. He also emphasised the importance of regional co-operation and felt that the Economic Co-operation Organisation summit, to be hosted by Pakistan, would provide a good opportunity for strengthening relations.