ISLAMABAD, 3 November 2004 — The United States will need Pakistani support whether President George W. Bush or his Democrat rival Sen. John Kerry wins the presidential elections, Foreign Minister Khurshid Mehmood Kasuri said yesterday.
“Pakistan has an important position in the world because of its foreign policy and the United States will continue to require Islamabad’s support,” Kasuri said. “Pakistan enjoys bi-partisan support in the US because President Pervez Musharraf has steered the country toward success over the last five years,” he said.
The foreign minister said the international community now recognized Pakistan as a responsible nuclear power that had acted maturely. “We are continuing our cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency, the US and other countries”.
Kasuri said both Pakistan and India would have to show flexibility on the Kashmir issue in order to ensure peace in the region. He said both would have to take steps to resolve the issue in a way that was acceptable to the Kashmiri people.
The minister said Pakistan had not shifted from its principled stand on Kashmir and the president had not proposed any solution to the Kashmir issue. He said President Musharraf had only given “broad parameters for a rationalized debate on the possible suggestions for the issue.”
He said the president had shown courage in starting this debate, which was a first in South Asia. Kasuri said the government was moving forward to solving the Kashmir conflict through a process of negotiation. He said Pakistan and India were also working on “secret channels to move toward resolving the issue.” Pakistan always takes Kashmiri leaders into confidence when discussing the issue with India, he asserted.
The minister said Kashmir was “a fundamental issue for Pakistan and we are prepared to take risks to ensure a secure future for the Kashmiris”. He said Pakistan believed the time had come for realizing the aspirations of the Kashmiri people and there was need for a constructive discussion among the Kashmiris for a positive strategy.
The foreign minister said Pakistan enjoyed cordial relations with Afghanistan. He said the government had maintained high-level contact with the HamidKarzai government.
Kasuri said Pakistan’s practical foreign policy was evident in its growing engagement with the European Union, East Asia including ASEAN and Japan, its strengthening of ties with China, improving ties with the Islamic world and the five-year military and economic package with the United States.
Kasuri said Pakistan supported the expansion of the UN Security Council, but the expansion should be limited to only non-permanent members and the UN reformation should be based on caution and consensus. He said the Organization of Islamic Conference foreign ministers had adopted a statement saying that any reform proposal that neglected the adequate representation of Muslims would not be acceptable to Muslim countries.
