Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Washington, Islamabad joint investigation into border incident
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice in a meeting with Pakistan Foreign Minister, Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi agreed to conduct a joint military investigation into the recent U.S. cross border bombings by U.S. forces that allegedly led to the death of 11 Pakistani soldiers on June 11.
While the Bush administration 'regreted' the incident, and may be in favor of Islamabad making peace with tribes in the North west frontier, it would not brook any negotiations with terrorists, Richard Boucher, Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs, speaking to media in Paris on June 13, on the sidelines of the Afghanistan donor countries' meeting, said.
He called the Rice-Qureshi meeting 'positive', a significant follow-up in the backdrop of Pakistani accusations that the U.S. military was trigger happy on the border. Qureshi is expected to visit Washington by mid July, Boucher indicated during the briefing.
"They did talk about the border incident. They discussed and supported the idea of a joint military investigation. That's been agreed between our militaries. They agreed that we are partners in the war on terror; we need to work together. The terrorism coming from Pakistan/Afghanistan border region is a threat to both peoples, Pakistan - actually Afghanistan, Pakistan, the United States and elsewhere," Boucher said.
"The Secretary expressed our regret for the deaths of the Pakistani soldiers in particular, knowing that they too are allies in the war on terror," he added.
The two leaders also discussed overall problems of extremism, including need for development in the border regions, as well as security, the problems that Pakistan is facing in financial matters, in energy and food, he said.
Boucher will visit Pakistan in early July and Qureshi is expected in Washington after that in a bid "to continue our high-level dialogue with the new government," Boucher indicated.
To read the full article, click here...
To read the ePaper, visit: http://www.newsindia-times.com
While the Bush administration 'regreted' the incident, and may be in favor of Islamabad making peace with tribes in the North west frontier, it would not brook any negotiations with terrorists, Richard Boucher, Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs, speaking to media in Paris on June 13, on the sidelines of the Afghanistan donor countries' meeting, said.
He called the Rice-Qureshi meeting 'positive', a significant follow-up in the backdrop of Pakistani accusations that the U.S. military was trigger happy on the border. Qureshi is expected to visit Washington by mid July, Boucher indicated during the briefing.
"They did talk about the border incident. They discussed and supported the idea of a joint military investigation. That's been agreed between our militaries. They agreed that we are partners in the war on terror; we need to work together. The terrorism coming from Pakistan/Afghanistan border region is a threat to both peoples, Pakistan - actually Afghanistan, Pakistan, the United States and elsewhere," Boucher said.
"The Secretary expressed our regret for the deaths of the Pakistani soldiers in particular, knowing that they too are allies in the war on terror," he added.
The two leaders also discussed overall problems of extremism, including need for development in the border regions, as well as security, the problems that Pakistan is facing in financial matters, in energy and food, he said.
Boucher will visit Pakistan in early July and Qureshi is expected in Washington after that in a bid "to continue our high-level dialogue with the new government," Boucher indicated.
To read the full article, click here...
To read the ePaper, visit: http://www.newsindia-times.com
Labels: bombings . US forces, incident, investigation, Islamabad, pakistan, Pakistan border, Pakistan Foreign Minister, Pakistani soldiers, President George W. Bush, terror, Washington
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