DATE=10/13/1999
TYPE=BACKGROUND REPORT
TITLE=PAKISTAN, THE TALEBAN AND TERRORISM
NUMBER=5-44500
BYLINE=NICK SIMEONE
DATELINE=WASHINGTON
CONTENT=
VOICED AT:
INTRO: The military coup Tuesday in Pakistan
certainly did not catch the Clinton administration by
surprise - for weeks it had received indications about
increasing opposition to the government in Islamabad,
and had warned against any grab for power. But as
Correspondent Nick Simeone reports from Washington,
the ouster of Pakistan's democratic government is
raising concerns that the Islamic fundamentalism of
the Taliban in neighboring Afghanistan could now
spread to a country that has long been a U-S ally
against terrorism.
TEXT: A top concern of the Clinton
administration is how the coup in Pakistan led by
General Pervez Musharraf will impact issues of
concern to the United States. Pentagon Spokesman
Ken Bacon identified these issues.
/// BACON ACT ///
One is counternarcotics, one is the
extreme, is terrorism in Afghanistan. So
there are reasons for us to have a dialogue
with Pakistan.
/// END ACT ///
Pakistan has long supported Afghanistan's
dominant Taliban faction, and U-S officials are
concerned that instability could provide a
fertile breeding ground for what one official
calls the "Talibanization" of Pakistan. General
Musharraf is not widely known in the West and
some elements of the Pakistani military are
believed to maintain close ties to the Taliban,
which Washington accuses of supporting terrorism.
Fareed Zakaria is managing editor of the
influential magazine "Foreign Affairs."
/// FIRST ZAKARIA ACT ///
I do think there is a danger if the
Pakistani military maintains close
connections with the Taliban. It will
become easier and easier for groups like
that to gain power and access in Pakistani
society. It's worth pointing out, however,
that process is already taking place.
/// END ACT ///
But Paul Bremer, a former US Ambassador at large
for counterterrorism, believes the Clinton
Administration could find an ally in whatever
Pakistani government takes shape if it sends the
right signals.
/// BREMER ACT ///
It is true there are parts of the Pakistani
military that if they wanted to, probably
could at a minimum get our messages through
to the Taliban. But it's certainly too
early to know whether those parts of the
military are going to be more or less
prominent as a result of this coup and what
their attitude will be toward the West.
/// END ACT ///
Mr. Bremer says that attitude will be influenced
by they perceive to be the extent of Washington's
hostility to the coup.
Complicating matters is the fact that most
military contacts between the United States and
Pakistan were cut years ago because of the
Pressler Amendment. The legislation requires
suspension of military assistance to any country
suspected of producing nuclear weapons. Former
CIA director James Woolsey thinks this is wrong.
/// WOOLSEY ACT ///
General Musharraf is not known in the west. The
reason is in part that we have cut ourselves off
from contact with this generation of Pakistani
military leaders by this ill-advised legislation
back in the 1980's. It really ought to be
repealed.
/// END ACT ///
Other analysts including Foreign Affairs editor Fareed
Zakaria worry that the lack of U-S military relations
with Pakistan may have unfortunate consequences.
/// SECOND ZAKARIA ACT ///
The United States is going to have very limited
ability to remake Pakistan into a kind of
liberal, democratic country. It's sad to say
(it is) a fairly disfunctional state.
/// END ACT ///
So for the moment, the Clinton Administration is left
to wait and watch to see what course Pakistan's new
military rulers take, while calling for an early
return to democracy. (Signed)
NEB/NJS/TVM/gm
13-Oct-1999 15:54 PM EDT (13-Oct-1999 1954 UTC)
NNNN
Source: Voice of America
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