France on Friday announced a 300 million euro aid in economic assistance and another 12 million Euros for the rehabilitation of Internally Displaced Persons in Pakistan. France also pledged to hammer out a Framework for Co-operation Agreement within the next three months that will comprehensively cover co-operation in the fields of energy including civilian nuclear power plants for peaceful purposes, trade, civil aviation and defence.
In a statement, Spokesperson of the President former Senator Farhatullah Babar said that the assurances of French pledges came during a meeting today in the Elysee Palace in Paris between President Asif Ali Zardari and President Sarkozy. Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Interior Minister Rehman Malik, Ambassador Asma Anisa and Spokesperson of the President was also present on the occasion.
France deeply admires the determination of the Government of Pakistan to root out militancy from the country, the French President said, adding, "France totally supports you President and it is our determination to see Pakistan succeed". France will not only directly support Pakistan but also seek the support of the international community to the economic and political stability of Pakistan, the French President said.
The Spokesperson said that the French President assured President Zardari that at the forthcoming summit of the EU in Brussels he will seek to persuade the grouping to allow Pakistan greater market access to enable it stabilises its economy and provide jobs to its people.
President Sarkozy said that he looked forward to the interlocutors from Pakistan and France meeting soon to hammer out a comprehensive framework of co-operation agreement before the fall this year. Earlier, President Asif Ali Zardari explained to his French counterpart the steps taken by the government in rooting out militancy and the range of economic and political assistance it needed in this regard.
Pakistan requires massive and immediate assistance in rehabilitating the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) displaced from Swat and other areas as a result of the fight against militants. Poverty, lack of education and shelterlessness provided breeding grounds for extremism and the world must come forward in helping Pakistan, President Zardari said. "We need trade and not aid", the President said, adding, "We also need international assistance in broadening and strengthening our educational base".
He said that the over 17,000 madrassahs in Pakistan provided free education, shelter and food to the children of poor families. Some of the political madrassahs had also been imparting lessons in extremism and militancy. To counter it the President said that Pakistan needed to provide free education to its children.
This alone, the President said, had been calculated to cost nearly two billion dollars a year. President Zardari also emphasised the importance of strengthening the civilian law enforcing agencies by providing it with weapons, transport, bomb proof police stations and better pay scales to fight the militants who were better and far better paid by their masters.