PEACE & SECURITY | Creating a more stable world
29 February 2008
U.S. Looks Forward to Continued Partnership with Pakistan
Washington will renew security, development ties with new government
Washington -- The United States welcomes the return of civilian rule in Pakistan and looks forward to working with the new government once it is formed in the coming weeks to continue improvements in democracy, education and governance while promoting security and economic opportunity.
"The United States and Pakistan have a common interest in the success of a robust and multi-faceted fight against violent extremism, focused on democracy and economic development as well as on security cooperation," Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte says. "We intend to pursue that common interest vigorously with Pakistan’s next government."
The Pakistan People’s Party and the Pakistan Muslim League-N topped the February 18 national election while the party of President Pervez Musharraf lost 19 seats in Pakistan’s National Assembly. Several parties sympathetic to extremism were dealt significant electoral blows.
"With this election, the moderate majority has regained its voice," said Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Joseph Biden, who traveled to Pakistan with committee colleagues John Kerry and Chuck Hagel as election observers. "The Pakistani people have expressed a very clear vision for what they want their nation to look like: moderate, democratic, grounded in rule of law, with leaders who provide good governance and the basic necessities of life to all citizens. It is in America’s vital national interest to help Pakistanis make this admirable vision a reality."
Negroponte agreed, noting that the United States showed its commitment to Pakistani democracy through its donation of 215,000 ballot boxes, its role in a seven-country partnership that trained more than 19,000 Pakistanis to monitor the vote and its deployment of 78 U.S. government and independent election observers. "While not perfect, the elections reflected the will of the voters who have embraced the results," Negroponte said during congressional testimony February 28.
"The United States continues to believe that only democracy can build a long-term consensus among Pakistanis on a moderate, prosperous future for their country. Our engagement with Pakistan’s leaders reflects those beliefs," Negroponte said.
The time has come, he said, for Pakistanis to seize the opportunity of successful elections. He said the United States would continue providing development aid and supporting the Pakistani security forces as they confront militant extremists who have established safe havens along their border with Afghanistan in the country’s Federally Administered Tribal Areas.
"Al-Qaida leaders exploit this area to plot, plan, and train for attacks in Pakistan, Afghanistan, and, indeed, throughout the world," Negroponte said. He praised Pakistan as an "indispensable" ally against extremism.
But security assistance is only part of the solution, Negroponte said, and true progress can be made only by strengthening the government’s ability to deliver essential services and bring economic opportunity to a region long short on jobs and hope. The chief Republican on the committee, Senator Richard Lugar of Indiana, agreed, calling the election a "recalibration" opportunity for U.S.-Pakistani relations.
"If Pakistan is to break its debilitating cycle of instability, it will need to achieve progress on fighting corruption, delivering government services, promoting broad-based economic growth," Lugar said during the Senate committee hearing. The Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing examined the future of U.S. foreign policy in the region generally and Pakistan specifically.
The U.S. Agency for International Development is supporting Pakistan’s nine-year, $2 billion development plan for the tribal area with a $750 million contribution over the next five years, Negroponte said. The plan already is refurbishing hospitals and training new medical personnel, eradicating polio and installing new water and sewage systems. The United States also has invested $256 million in helping Pakistan reform and revitalize its educational system.
These projects are improving lives, Negroponte said, and would complement the U.S. government’s proposal to build reconstruction opportunity zones −- industrial parks on both sides of the Afghan-Pakistan border where local businesses can set up shop. In addition to government incentives offered to Afghan and Pakistani business owners, jointly produced goods from these manufacturers also would enjoy duty-free access to U.S. markets, providing new livelihoods for area communities.
Negroponte’s prepared testimony (PDF, 7 pages) is available from the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Web site.
