29 January 2003
Powell Says U.S. "Very Sensitive" to Pakistani Concerns over NSEERS
(Powell Meets Pakistan Foreign Minister Kasuri in Washington Jan 29)
(2550)
Secretary of State Colin Powell has praised Pakistan for its
cooperation in the global war against terrorism and given assurances
to Pakistani Foreign Minister Mian Khursid Mahmud Kasuri that the U.S.
is "very sensitive" to Pakistan's concerns about the new NSEERS
(National Security Entry-Exit Registration System) program.
"We know that this program has caused some concern among Pakistani
Americans as well as Pakistanis back home who are watching how it is
being implemented. I assured the minister that we are very sensitive
to those concerns. He gave me a number of ideas as to how some of
these concerns can be dealt with. He'll be meeting with the attorney
general later this afternoon to also discuss this matter," Powell said
at a media availability with Kasuri following their talks in
Washington January 29.
Powell emphasized that the NSEERS program "is not something directed
at Pakistan or directed at Moslems or directed at Pakistanis in
America." He expressed appreciation for the contributions Pakistanis
have made to American life and said that the U.S. will work to ensure
that the program is implemented in a "dignified manner."
When asked about the resumption of dialogue between Pakistani and
Indian leaders, Powell responded that the U.S. is continuing to work
with both countries to encourage dialogue.
Powell said the United States is "interested" and "committed" to
developing strong relationships with both countries. "We could have
good friendships with both nations," he said.
Responding to a question about Iraq, Powell said the United States
would be willing to help Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein, his family, and
other Iraqi leaders find a country of asylum as "one way to avoid
war."
"[W]ith respect to exile, if [Hussein] were to leave the country and
take some of his family members with him and others in the leading
elite who have been responsible for so much trouble during the course
of his regime, we would, I'm sure, try to help find a place for them
to go," said Powell.
Following is the text of the Powell-Kasuri media availability:
(begin transcript)
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Office of the Spokesman
January 29, 2003
REMARKS
Remarks By Secretary Of State Colin L. Powell And Pakistani Foreign
Minister Mian Khursid Mahmud Kasuri After Their Meeting
January 29, 2003
Treaty Room
Washington, D.C.
(1:40 p.m. EST)
SECRETARY POWELL: We reviewed the situation in Afghanistan. We
reviewed our bilateral relationship, which we believe is strong and
will continue to grow in the months and years ahead. We discussed the
situation on the entire subcontinent. We talked about relations
between India and Pakistan, and I once again reaffirmed to the Foreign
Minister that the United States wishes to play a helpful role in the
area and will be doing everything we can to continue to reduce
tensions in the region, and hopefully reach a point where dialogue can
begin between India and Pakistan and all of the various issues that
exist between the two nations, to include, of course, Kashmir.
We also had a discussion on topical issues such as Iraq, Iran and
similar matters. And I might point out that the Minister gave me a
very full description of Pakistanis concerns on a new NSEERS program,
the registration program. We know that this program has caused some
concern among Pakistani Americans as well as Pakistanis back home who
are watching how it is being implemented.
I assured the Minister that we are very sensitive to those concerns.
He gave me a number of ideas as to how some of these concerns can be
dealt with. He will be meeting with the Attorney General later this
afternoon to also discuss this matter. But I also reinforced that this
is not something directed at Pakistan or directed at Muslims or
directed at Pakistanis in America; it is an effort on the part of the
United States to do a better job of knowing who is in our country.
We appreciate all the contributions that Pakistanis have made to
American life, and so many Pakistanis have become American citizens.
So we will continue to learn from our experience with the program, and
I wanted to linger on this point so that the Minister has my full
assurance that we will be doing everything to implement this program
in a dignified manner.
FOREIGN MINISTER KASURI: Thank you.
SECRETARY POWELL: Mr. Minister.
FOREIGN MINISTER KASURI: Yes, I'd like to first read a very brief
statement and then I am quite -- I am available for answers.
I have had extremely cordial and productive discussions with your
Secretary of State, Mr. Colin Powell. Our talks today encompassed the
entire range of our bilateral relationship. We also exchanged views on
developments in our region, including relations with India and
Pakistan, particularly the Kashmir issue, the latest developments in
Afghanistan, the situation obtaining in Iraq.
Both of us reaffirmed our mutual commitment to strengthen and broaden
the Pak-U.S. relationship in diverse fields and to lend it a permanent
character. The U.S. Secretary of State has assured me of the firm U.S.
commitment to the well-being and prosperity of Pakistan.
Both sides expressed profound satisfaction on our strong cooperation
in the global fight against terrorism. I reaffirmed Pakistan's abiding
commitment to the Secretary of State in this regard and assured him
that our commitment is long-lasting.
I apprised the Secretary of State of the state of our relations with
India and the need for initiation of a bilateral dialogue process
between Pakistan and India to resolve all outstanding issues,
including the core issue of Jemo and Kashmir. The Secretary of State
assured me that the United States will remain engaged in South Asia
and would work towards the beginning of a Pak-India bilateral dialogue
process.
In the context of Afghanistan, we expressed our commitment to the Bonn
process which is aimed at bringing about peace and stability in
Afghanistan. We also reaffirmed the need for an all around commitment
in order that the process of Afghanistan's reconstruction gets
underway.
On Iraq, we had an exchange of views, particularly in the context of
our membership with the United Nations Security Council. We hope for a
peaceful outcome, including Iraq's full compliance with the Security
Council resolutions.
I also raised with the Secretary of State an issue of very immediate,
shall I say primary concern for Pakistan, and that is -- and that has
agitated our public opinion immensely. This relates to the
registration of foreign nations in the United States under the NCS
program. I have urged the Secretary of State that Pakistan should be
excluded from this list and that Pakistani nationals in the United
States should be provided the necessary relief and flexibility under
the law.
On this last issue, I just want, Mr. Secretary, your permission to say
one or two things because I know a lot of Pakistani journalists are
also here and they are very educated and they want to hear something
from me. I have brought out to the Secretary of State all the
ramifications of this particular law. Now, we have discussed various
things, but what I have suggested to him is that even under the law,
because the Secretary said it will ultimately apply to the whole
world, it's not aimed at Pakistanis, but what we are afraid of is mass
deportation of Pakistanis under any provision or pretext whatsoever.
That will be devastating and it will place undue pressures on our
relationship. The Secretary, I am grateful, appreciates that and he
has promised to play, let's say a supportive role, and I am grateful
to him for that.
Thank you very much.
QUESTION: Mr. Secretary, if we could please revert back to Iraq.
There's talk on the Hill now again about maybe exile for Saddam
Hussein as possibly the only way left to avoid a confrontation. I
wonder if you could again address that.
And so far as the evidence you're going to present, not all of it I
understand has been seen by the inspectors. Is it a different category
of material or something?
SECRETARY POWELL: Well, with respect to exile, if he were to leave the
country and take some of his family members with him and others in the
leading elite who have been responsible for so much trouble during the
course of his regime, we would, I am sure, try to help find a place
for them to go. And so that certainly would be one way to avoid war,
and we have indicated this before.
With respect to my presentation next week, I expect to put forward
information and evidence which will fill in some of the gaps with
respect to what Dr. Blix and Dr. El Baradei discussed earlier this
week about the problems they have had getting Saddam Hussein to
participate in the disarmament, to lead the disarmament effort, which
he is required to do under 1441.
The information I present, some of it will be an expansion of
information that has already been seen, some of it is information that
has been given to inspectors, and some of it will be new information
that were really not relevant to the inspectors' work but relevant to
making the case with respect to the Hussein regime's possession of
weapons of mass destruction.
Elaine Monaghan.
QUESTION: Well, actually -- (laughter).
SECRETARY POWELL: Very well.
QUESTION: I actually wanted to ask you about the evidence, in fact,
I'm afraid. I'm a little confused because one of the suggestions seems
to be that it's satellite photographs that -- satellite photographs,
which don't seem to be a particular problem in terms of intelligence
because they were taken by satellites. So is there going to be more
evidence that may involve you having to consider revealing sources,
that kind of thing?
SECRETARY POWELL: You can be sure that we will be as forthcoming as we
can next week, but also mindful of sources and methods. And it will
be, I think, a rather comprehensive presentation, but we'll all see it
together next Wednesday.
QUESTION: A Pakistani journalist wants to ask a question.
SECRETARY POWELL: Of course.
QUESTION: You have been in touch with Pakistani and Indian leaders on
a resumption of dialogue between the two countries. What are the
prospects now?
SECRETARY POWELL: Well, I think we have to find a way to get the
dialogue begun. Some suggestions have been made that perhaps some
economic moves from one side to the other might be a way to jumpstart
it. I think many people are watching activity that is occurring across
the line of control to see whether the rate of that activity, if it
went down, might be an encouraging step.
So we're looking for different ways to use our good offices to get a
dialogue moving, but at the moment I don't know that I can be more
forthcoming in that. We'll continue to work hard at it. And what I
said to both Pakistani and Indian leaders is that the United States is
committed to doing everything we can to get the dialogue going.
There were some people who were concerned that, you know, once the
demobilization took place and things calmed down a bit, the United
States would not be interested any longer. We are interested. We
remain committed. We remain committed to a strong U.S.-Pakistan
relationship and a strong U.S.-Indian relationship. It's not a zero
sum game. We can have good friendships with both nations. And by
having good friendships with both nations, we can lend our good
offices to solving difficulties between --
FOREIGN MINISTER KASURI: In this connection, I explained to the
Secretary of State the efforts made by the Government of Pakistan, by
myself, by Prime Minister Jamali, to invite Prime Minister Vajpayee to
Pakistan for the South* conference. Unfortunately, for reasons best
known to the leaders and Government of India, that invitation was not
accepted, and that would have appreciably actually led to a lowering
of tensions in the region.
SECRETARY POWELL: Thank you. Terri.
QUESTION: I know you don't put much stock in what the Iraqis say, but
the Iraqi UN Ambassador was just at the stakeout up at the UN, and he
said that in 1998 the Clinton Administration confirmed that all Iraqi
weapons of mass destruction had been destroyed by the attacks in 1998,
and he asked whether now -- this is putting one President in the
position of contradicting another. What is your understanding of what
the situation was in '98 and --
SECRETARY POWELL: That's a verbal trick on his part. I think what he's
referring to is after Operation Desert Fox, a great deal of damage was
inflicted, I am quite sure, on the targets that the Clinton
Administration and the military at that time went after. But I don't
think anybody would claim that those strikes, in and of themselves,
pulled up the entire infrastructure. And, in fact, I think the
questions that existed at that time, put forward by UNSCOM -- what
happened to these stocks -- those questions remain relevant today and
that's what we'll be looking at.
QUESTION: Mr. Secretary, you said that if Saddam Hussein and his
retinue decided to leave or were willing to leave, the United States
might try to find somewhere where he could go. Would the United States
also, under those circumstances, consider offering any kind of
immunity for Saddam Hussein and those people?
SECRETARY POWELL: I am not prepared to talk to that. I think it's not
for the United States alone to offer that kind of protection. I mean,
it would have to be a broader forum that might look at such a
question. But I think that's so hypothetical right now that it would
be interesting to chat about, but not terribly relevant at the moment.
QUESTION: Mr. Secretary, Mr. Minister, any comments on the diplomatic
dogfight between India and Pakistan? And it has been going for many,
many years and some people are -- both nations are blaming each other.
And also on terrorism from Pakistan into India, both nations are
blaming each other. And also, sir, as far as this diplomatic fights
are going on, or dogfights, some people in India are saying that now
why should India and Pakistan have diplomatic relations at all.
FOREIGN MINISTER KASURI: Well, thank you for the question because it
does provide me an opportunity to put another light on that. You're
talking of terrorism sponsored by Pakistan across LOC, but I would
rather that you also spoke of state terrorism committed by Indian
military occupation forces in Kashmir.
Having said that, and since I do not believe in heightening rhetoric,
I have not responded in kind to some very inflammatory statements from
Ministers in the Government of India because I'm interested in
lowering tensions. I have already stated the Government of Pakistan,
the Foreign Minister -- myself, the Prime Minister Jamali, we are very
keen to resume a process that ultimately leads to a solution of all
outstanding issues, including the core issue of Jemo and Kashmir.
SECRETARY POWELL: Thank you.
(end transcript)
(Distributed by the Office of International Information Programs, U.S.
Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
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