DATE=3/7/2000 TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT TITLE=CLINTON-PAKISTAN (L) NUMBER=2-259943 BYLINE=DAVID GOLLUST DATELINE=WHITE HOUSE CONTENT= VOICED AT: INTRO: President Clinton will visit Pakistan March 25th at the close of the upcoming South Asian trip that will also take him to India and Bangladesh. There had been debate in Washington over the advisability of a Pakistan stop because of the military takeover in Islamabad last October. V-O-A's David Gollust reports from the White House. TEXT: Administration officials say Mr. Clinton's decision to go to Pakistan should not be seen as U-S acquiescence to military rule in that country, and that during several hours of talks in Islamabad the president will urge a return to democracy as well as efforts by Pakistan to combat anti-U-S terrorism in neighboring Afghanistan. The announcement of the visit, in a written White House statement, capped a lengthy and apparently difficult debate in Washington over whether to add Pakistan to the President's itinerary. Relations have been chilled by the military takeover, and the subsequent trial of ousted civilian Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, with whom Mr. Clinton had met in Washington last July for talks on Kashmir. Senior officials who briefed reporters here said the decision to go is not an endorsement of General Pervez Musharraf but rather a statement of continued engagement with Pakistan. Not to have made the visit, they said would have "disheartened" pro-democracy forces in Pakistan, and given the wrong signal that the United States was turning its back on a friend after years of close relations. The officials said there was no "checklist" of actions expected of Pakistan in return for the visit, but they none-the-less said they looked to General Musharraf - in an address to the nation March 23rd - to be more specific about plans for a restoration of civilian rule. And they said the military chief would go to the southern Afgan town of Kandahar soon to -- among other things -- press the leader of the Taleban movement to crack down on the militant group led by alleged terrorist Osama Bin Laden. President Clinton originally was to have made the South Asia trip in 1998, but it was put off after India, and then Pakistan, carried out nuclear weapons tests. The senior officials said tensions between the two South Asian powers today are higher than at anytime since their last war in 1971, and that Mr. Clinton has a responsibility to do what he can to avoid a nuclear and missile arms race and prevent a conflict in the region. They added, however, that Mr. Clinton does not intend to try to mediate over Kashmir - a role India strongly opposes. The announcement here was preceded by a telephone call by Mr. Clinton to Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, who is said to have expressed understanding for the President's decision. Clinton National Security Adviser Sandy Berger had a parallel conversation with General Musharraf. (Signed) NEB/DAG/gm 07-Mar-2000 18:56 PM EDT (07-Mar-2000 2356 UTC) NNNN Source: Voice of America .
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