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| Kerry rules out US combat troops on Pakistani soil |
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Tuesday, October 27, 2009
WASHINGTON: The United States has enormous stakes in Pakistan’s stability and must assist the country economically and militarily to help it overcome serious challenges and at the same time make it clear to the Pakistanis that Washington respects their sovereignty, Senator John Kerry advocated on Monday.
“We need to make it clear that we respect their (Pakistanis) sovereignty,” he stated at the Council on Foreign Relations while speaking about the US policy toward the region in the light of his visit to Pakistan and Afghanistan last week.
Kerry said Pakistan should be given vital breathing space to deal with its difficult problems. “These are serious challenges,î he added.
The Democratic lawmaker appeared to favour a narrowly focused strategy for Afghanistan and warned against destabilising effect of any larger Afghan strategy on nuclear-armed Pakistan, which he praised for its massive ongoing anti-militant campaign in South Waziristan.
Arguing for sustained support for Pakistan, Senator Kerry also drew attention to the contrast in $ 30 to $ 1 ratio of what the US spends in Afghanistan and what it gives to Pakistan. He particularly highlighted the anti-militant resolve achieved at public level under the democratic Pakistani government.
“The good news is that many Pakistanis recognise that they face an existential challenge within their border. The Pakistani military has demonstrated a firm resolve with its current offensive against Pakistani Taliban in Waziristan and they deserve great credit for that.
“We need to be doing as much as we can do and that involves Afghanistan and Pakistan in order to assist the Pakistani military as they go after domestic extremists,” he added, underscoring the need for coordinated efforts against remnants of al-Qaeda.
“America and the international community must reassure the Pakistanis that tackling this challenge will lead to a lasting relationship with real economic and security benefits.” Responding to a question about some provisions of the Kerry-Lugar Act, Kerry said the conditions originally proposed were changed to reporting requirements on part of the US Administration.
He called for being sensitive to the issues in the context of Pakistani domestic politics. Kerry said he understands Pakistanis sensitivities. Kerry said the Congressional statement added to the legislation completely clarifies respect for Pakistani sovereignty and United States’ not seeking to micromanage the country’s affairs. He felt the vast majority of Pakistan have moved on (on the issue) and prepared now to build on the relationship.
“We need to be doing a better job of explaining ourselves, we need to be much more sensitive to their sensibilities as to how we can proceed.” He saw an opportunity in the current refugee exodus from Waziristan toward improving the image of the United States through humanitarian assistance.
Meanwhile talking to FOX News channel, Senator John Kerry on Monday ruled out any American combat troops on Pakistani soil, asserting that Islamabad can best overcome militant challenges through a homegrown approach.
Kerry said the Obama administration is working to strengthen Islamabad’s ability to deliver on economic and security challenges. “Pakistan is going to determine — the outcome is going to be determined by the Pakistanis themselves making a choice about whether or not they are going to stand up to the Taliban and assert their democratic values. I believe they will. I think they are,” he said
“And I think the White House is trying to figure out the best ways in which to empower them to do that. It can’t be an American-driven policy. It can’t have an American imprint or footprint. This really has to be homegrown, and that’s what we’re really working with the Pakistanis to achieve.”
Washington, he said, is working to provide assistance to Pakistan so that the Pakistanis themselves can undertake this effort to enforce security in their country. “They need help. They need economic assistance. They need the ability to be able to deliver to their citizens. No government can win the support of its people if it isn’t meeting the needs of its people.”
He said the Obama Administration is “appropriately making the judgment that this is a fight that the Pakistanis have to engage in. This is not our battle in the sense. The United States, he said, would not send its troops to combat militants on Pakistani soil. “We’re not going to send troops by any significant numbers of any kind to Pakistan. We may have some people training or helping if that’s something they (Pakistanis) decide they want,” he told FOX News channel. “This is a country with a history and with an ability to be able to deliver — in some cases more rapidly than others. They now need to get coordinated. They have a new civilian government. They have had a military leader for the last eight years or so. They went to the polls. They elected this leader. He’s only had a short period of time under very difficult economic circumstances to really get things moving. Our hope is that they are now getting on the track and beginning to make the commitments necessary to win back their own country,” he added.
Also, Kerry said the war plan that asks President Barack Obama to commit tens of thousands of additional US forces to Afghanistan is too ambitious. Kerry praised commanding Gen Stanley McChrystal but said his plan for adding troops inAfghanistan “goes too far, too fast.”
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ISSN 1563-9479 
