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| US respects Pakistan’s sovereignty: Bush |
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Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Zardari says democracy is the answer to all problems
By Muhammad Saleh Zaafir
NEW YORK: US President George W Bush on Tuesday assured President Asif Ali Zardari that his country respects Pakistan's sovereignty and its sovereign right to defend itself against terrorism.
Bush sat down for his first face-to-face meeting with Zardari to discuss security and economic issues before they attended the UN General Assembly.The two presidents had their maiden meeting here in the Waldorf Astoria Hotel where the US President is staying. It lasted about an hour.
He reaffirmed US commitment to Pakistan's economic development and cited Washington's bipartisan support in this respect.President Asif Ali Zardari thanked the US for its support for the revival of democracy in Pakistan.
The US president welcomed the newly elected Pakistani leader and assured him of his country's cooperation. They discussed enhancing bilateral relationship with the US leader, pledging support for Pakistan in the economic and security fields.
The two presidents held discussion on a number of issues of mutual interest. President Bush at the outset expressed profound sense of grief over the heavy loss of lives on the weekend bombing on the Marriott hotel, Islamabad.
President Zardari expressed the confidence that Pakistan would be able to overcome its problems."Democracy is the answer" to the problems facing Pakistan, he said. "We have problems, we have a situation but we will solve them."
President Bush said: "I thank you for coming. And I have really been looking forward to this meeting; after all, Pakistan is a close and important friend." He offered his deepest condolences to the victims of those who died as a result of the terrorist attack in Islamabad.
"I know that you -- your heart goes out to the families of those who suffered and so does the collective heart of the American people; we stand with you," George Bush said.
Recalling his meeting with Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari and his two sisters in Beijing on the occasion of opening of Beijing Olympics, the US president said he got to know Zardari a little bit in an interesting way when he met the children at the Olympics.
"It reminded me about the great suffering that they and you have been through with the loss of your beloved wife. And I thank you very much for staying involved in public service to honour her legacy," President Bush said.
He said Pakistan is an ally and he looks forward to deepening the relationship. "We'll be discussing, of course, how to help spread prosperity. We want our friends around the world to be making a good living. We want there to be economic prosperity and we can work together, and of course we'll be talking about security. And your words have been very strong about Pakistan's sovereign right and sovereign duty to protect your country, and the United States wants to help," the US president said.
Referring to the current economic difficulties of the United States, President Bush said the world leaders are wondering whether or not the United States has the right plan to deal with this economic crisis.
"I've assured them that the plan laid out by Secretary Paulson is a robust plan to deal with a serious problem. And now they're wondering about our Congress and I've assured them as well that having spoken to the leaders of the Congress from both political parties there is the desire to get something done quickly," he added.
President Bush observed that there's a natural give-and-take when it comes to the legislative process. There are good ideas that need to be listened to in order to get a good bill out that will address the situation.
"I'm confident that there will be a bipartisan bill, that the Republicans and Democrats will come together to get this piece of legislation passed, which is necessary to address the financial situation and provide a rescue plan to make sure that there's some stability in the markets," he said.
President Zardari thanked President Bush and said: "Thank you for your kind words. Thank you for your thoughts. As always, you prove to the world that your heart is in there for us Pakistanis, we respect your feelings, we respect the American ideals. And we bring to this the whole concept of your promise to the world of bringing democracy to Pakistan. Democracy has come full circle and it's been the help of all the friends around the world and we are thankful to the world for helping democracy."
He said: "Democracy is the answer. We will solve all the problems. We have a situation. We have issues. We've got problems. But we will solve them and we will rise to the occasion. That's what my wife's legacy is all about. That's what democracy is all about, to take difficult decisions and do the right thing for the people of our country and our two great nations. We should come together in this hard time and we will share the burden and the responsibility with the world," President Zardari concluded.
President Zardari was assisted by Foreign Minister Shah Mehmud Qureshi, Finance Minister Syed Naveed Qamar, Information Minister Sherry Rehman, National Security Advisor Maj-Gen Mehmud Ali Durrani, Foreign Secretary Salman Bashir, Pakistan's ambassador to the United States Hussain Haqqani, Pakistan's permanent envoy to the United Nations Hussain Haroon while the US President was assisted by Secretary of State Dr Condoleezza Rice, National Security Adviser Hadley and Assistant Secretary of State for Central and South Asia Richard Boucher.
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ISSN 1563-9479 
