12 February 2002
Pakistan is a Key Player in Operation Enduring Freedom
(Senior U.S. Official Briefs at the Foreign Press Center, Feb. 12)
(410)
By Vicki Silverman
Washington File Staff Writer
Speaking to foreign journalists on February 12, one day before
President Bush holds bilateral talks with Pakistan's President Pervez
Musharraf, a senior administration official said Pakistan has been "a
key and critical player in Operation Enduring Freedom." The
administration official was speaking at the Foreign Press Center in
Washington.
The official added that the United States would now like to see
Pakistani and Indian military forces in Kashmir, "particularly strike
forces," scaled back to reduce the chances of triggering an accidental
war.
Bush policy advisors believe there has been a reduction in tensions
between India and Pakistan since the December 13 attack on the Indian
parliament prompted both nations to put their armed forces on high
alert and prepare civil emergency plans. President Bush and his
foreign affairs advisors have been working daily to reduce tensions
between the two South Asian nuclear rivals.
The briefer emphasized that India's and Pakistan's leaders have also
been working to ease tensions. "Both India and Pakistan's leaders are
statesman who want to avoid war. They understand the need for peace
and stability to develop economically," according to the U.S.
official.
Asked about Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Joseph Biden's
call in the February 11 issue of "India Abroad" for the administration
to play a more pro-active role in seeking a solution to the Kashmir
dispute, the U.S. official said the administration was not looking to
mediate but to rather "to assist" both India and Pakistan in exploring
solutions to the 55-year old territorial dispute between them, "if
both parties seek" U.S. involvement.
"We do seek a reduction in tensions," the official told reporters. "We
do not want tensions to detract from 'Enduring Freedom' (the U.S.-led
military campaign against the al Qaeda terrorists and the Taliban),"
he said.
President Bush has praised President Musharraf for taking a tough
stand against terrorism "in or from Pakistan."
The two leaders are expected to discuss the full range of bilateral
and multilateral issues, including educational improvement, economic
assistance, military relations, Afghanistan, Operation Enduring
Freedom, narcotics assistance and interdiction, and health issues.
During his three-day official visit to Washington, President Musharraf
will hold separate meetings with several key cabinet members including
Secretary of State Colin Powell, Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill, and
Commerce Secretary Donald Evans.
(The Washington File is a product of the Office of International
Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site:
http://usinfo.state.gov)
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