Pakistan, US ties enjoy bipartisan support: Kasuri

ISLAMABAD—Foreign Minister, Khurshid Mehmood Kasuri said Friday the outcome of recent elections in the United States would not affect Pakistan-US relations.
“Pakistan enjoys special relations with the US whose policy toward Pakistan had bipartisan support in the US Congress”, Kasuri said in an interview with Pakistan Television. The interview focused on Pakistan’s relations with the US and the impact of Democratic Party’s victory in the recent Congressional elections on Pakistan-US relations. Replying to a question the Foreign Minister said that the policy of both the parties, the Republicans and Democrats, was based on the 9/11 Commission Report which stressed the centrality and importance of Pakistan for regional and international peace and security.
He added the new Speaker of the House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, and other leaders of Democratic Party during their election campaign had stressed the necessity of faithfully implementing the 9/11 Commission’s recommendations. This ensured continuing support to Pakistan. The Foreign Minister said Pakistan Congressional Caucus in the US was bipartisan and had around 70 members currently and that membership was increasing in view of the importance of Pakistan.
He said it was wrong to assume that the US political parties had favorites among countries. Like any other country, the US too had its national interests, which it pursued regardless of which party was in majority in the Congress. Foreign Minister Kasuri said due to its strategic location and the vital role it played in regional peace and security, Pakistan remained an important country not just for the US but also for the EU, China, Russia, Japan, the Islamic Word as well as other countries of the world. He added Pakistan was following a policy of constant engagement with important countries. It was, therefor immaterial who controlled the US Congress, he concluded.
The Foreign Minister said the numerous Congressional delegations that visited Pakistan and with whom he interacted, contained top leaders from both the parties. He said former President Clinton, the best known leader of the Democratic Party, had recently invited President Musharraf to attend Clinton Global Initiative in New York where he was the only leader from Asia. This was indicative of the importance of Pakistan and of President Musharraf in the eyes of leaders of both Republican and Democratic Parties, he added.
On the recent visit of the US Assistance Secretary of State, Richard Boucher, Foreign Minister Kasuri categorically denied the reports that he carried a secret message to Pakistan. He termed as `rubbish’ the reports that any country could dictate to Pakistan. The Foreign Minister stressed that Pakistan did what it found to be in its best national interest. He said actions speak louder than words and Pakistan’s stance on war in Iraq, IPI gas pipeline, Iran’s nuclear programme and Lebanon war is unambiguous and reflected our independent position on these issues, regardless of certain propagandistic claims by certain opposition leaders.
He said the success of Pakistan’s foreign policy could be gauged from the fact that it was perhaps the only country in the world that had strong strategic relations with both USA and China. Responding to a question on Pakistani detainees in Guantanamo Bay, Foreign Minister Kasuri said the government of Pakistan was doing its best to have them released as soon as possible. He said in all high-level meetings with the US he had always stressed the early release of those detained not just in Guantanamo Bay but also in various prisons in Afghanistan.—APP