NEW YORK, 22 September 2004 — The United States could lose its war on terrorism unless it deals with the political disputes that give rise to militant extremism, starting with the Palestinian issue, Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf said on Monday.
“The United States needs to concentrate on the resolution of political disputes, the elimination of poverty and illiteracy that is the core of terrorism,” Musharraf told a dinner sponsored by the US Chamber of Commerce.
Asked how the United States could improve its image in the Muslim world, Musharraf said: “Muslims feel as though Islam is being targeted. To start with, the Palestinian dispute must be resolved to create an environment of US understanding.”
Musharraf, who has played a pivotal role in the US-led war on terror after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States, addressed some similar themes earlier on Monday in an interview with ABC News.
“We are only involved at the moment in fighting terrorism frontally, the military perspective, the immediate response. But we are not addressing the root causes,” Musharraf said.
“I hope they are (addressed), otherwise we are not going to succeed. We may be winning battles, but we lose the war.”
Poor and illiterate people who feel aggrieved because of political disputes are easy targets for indoctrination by militant groups, said Musharraf.
“There is unanimous sympathy for the Palestinians against the Israelis. And the United States is seen or perceived as an Israeli supporter and totally against Muslims,” Musharraf said. “So I think this is the one which needs to be resolved immediately.”
On the subject of his country’s role in the ongoing hunt for Al-Qaeda militants and remnants of Afghanistan’s toppled Taleban leadership, Musharraf described the Pakistani campaign as successful and ongoing, but said he had no idea where Al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden was hiding.
On the domestic front, Musharraf said he was still undecided about giving up his dual role as chief of the army staff as he promised to do last year, but would make a decision in coming months.
“We are trying to bring about a societal change in Pakistan,” he said. “There are contentious issues both internationally and domestically that need some unity in actions. What worries me is their future.
“I haven’t decided whether or not I will be removing my uniform,” he said. “I will be taking a decision in a few months.”
Musharraf spoke in New York where he will meet with US President George W. Bush on the fringes of this week’s UN General Assembly.
In another development, Pakistan has stationed female security guards at US diplomatic missions because of fears they could be attacked by women suicide bombers, security officials said yesterday.
The women guards have been stationed at the US Embassy in Islamabad, and consulates in the southern city of Karachi and the eastern city of Lahore, an Interior Ministry official said.
“We have done this as a matter of precaution. There is no specific information or threat as such,” he said. “But there is a fear that women of Central Asian origin, or even Pakistanis, could be used in such attacks.”
Karachi police chief Tariq Jameel said in the past, the threat posed by women had not been taken into account.
“We have deployed women security staff to check all women suspects,” he said.
Pakistan became a front-line state in the US-led war on terror after the Sept. 11 attacks on the United States and has been the scene of repeated attacks by militants since then, including several on the US Consulate in Karachi.
The attacks have included several suicide bombings, but all carried out by men.
Security forces have been pursuing hundreds of militants of Central Asian origin, including Uzbeks and Chechens, in Pakistan’s rugged tribal belt bordering Afghanistan since March.
In May, intelligence officials said authorities were hunting the widow of an Uzbek militant after an intelligence report suggested she was training women suicide bombers.
They said Aziza, wife of Obaidullah, a member of the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, set up a militant training camp in the tribal zone to avenge the killing of her husband in a Pakistani military operation in January.
Meanwhile, President Pervez Musharraf will tour the Netherlands and Italy after his current visit to the United States, the Foreign Office said yesterday.
Musharraf will leave the United States over the weekend on a two-day trip to the Netherlands, which currently holds the rotating chairmanship of the European Union, said Foreign Office spokesman Masood Khan. He will fly to Italy for a two-day visit on Sept. 28.
In the Netherlands the president will meet Queen Beatrix, Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende and other political leaders, Khan said. “The discussions will focus on bilateral relations, the fight against terrorism, the reconstruction process in Afghanistan and UN reforms,” he said.
The volume of annual trade between the two countries stood at $460 million, Khan said, adding that the possibility of Dutch investment in Pakistan would figure prominently in talks.
In Italy, Musharraf is scheduled to meet President Carlo Azeglio Ciampi, Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi and business leaders. “The discussions would revolve around the fight against terrorism, the situation in Afghanistan and Iraq, Pakistan-India dialogue and expansion of the UN Security Council,” Khan said.
Italy has launched several appeals for the release of two Italian aid workers held in Iraq. Pakistan has condemned the hostage-taking.
