Pakistan Minister appeals for EU support

Pakistani Foreign Minister Mian Kurshid Mahmud Kasuri carried out a previously-delayed mission to EU institutions on November 5 and 6 in Brussels with the twin objectives of putting back on track a stalled EU-Pakistan cooperation agreement and generally to appeal for support in the country's difficult dealings with terrorism and its neighbour and rival India.

He met with EU Commission leaders and Members of the European Parliament, where resistance to a new bilateral cooperation agreement has been the strongest. Concern regarding the country's democratic process has resulted in suspension of the accord signed in 2001 after it announced its cooperation in the struggle against international terrorism and the related conflict in neighbouring Afghanistan.

But an EU monitoring mission during the national parliamentary elections in October 2002 concluded serious flaws existed in legal preparations for the vote. Significant EU aid directed at education, poverty alleviation and improving economic competitiveness has been allocated despite the absence of a signed accord.

The climate of unease between the Pakistan government and EU was also heightened recently when a delegation of the European Parliament found itself in the country in October at precisely the time when the Government in Islamabad decided to a arrest a leader of the opposition

The visit by the Foreign Minister and other Pakistani leaders to other regions of the globe came in the midst of an exchange of proposals by both Pakistan and India aimed at improving the atmosphere between them and present a conciliatory approach to the rest of the world.

And this diplomatic offensive also coincided with favourable reports that Pakistani economy was rebounding to the point that the Government was considering re-entering the international bond market to float an issue, largely to re-establish its credit rating rather than actually needing the finances. But press reports in Pakistan noted that the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank, as well parts of the national government itself, were indicating that poverty in the country had risen from 20 percent to 33 percent, although poverty statistics had not been collected since 2001. The international donours were said to be asking for the Government to complete its Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper and devote more resources to the problem.

During the visit to Brussels he called on the EU to rapidly ratify a new bilateral cooperation agreement which had been stalled because of some political opposition within the European Parliament. "We need the agreement with the EU to improve the level of our political nexus," Kasuri remarked, "We attach a lot of importance to this." He also told the Pakistani daily Dawn that he told key EU officials and Members of the European Parliament that his country had installed "the basic ingredients of a democratic system," but was still in a transition period.

The Pakistani Minister in his public presentation to the European Policy Centre and the European Institute for Asian Studies repeatedly sought to underline the spectre of terrorism faced by his country.

He also sought to stress the importance of the security of the entire region, which he termed as the crossroads of the world. The included a stable and secure Afghanistan, a resolution of issues with India including the Kashmir issue and the nuclear standoff between the two neighbours.

But he said on several occasions that Pakistan did not see itself as being engaged or wanting to participate in an arms race with India, but warned somberly that the confrontation between the two had been "on the verge" of a fourth war between them. But he said that "war is not an option."

The delayed visit to Brussels and Europe by the Foreign Minister was also part of a concerted approach by the Government in Islamabad to reach out to all corners of the international community. At the same time, President Pervez Musharraf was visiting Beijing and Seoul, Prime Minister Zahfarullah Khan Jamali was in Washington and a key nuclear policy official was informing the United Nations of Pakistan's culture of prudence regarding its nuclear weapons.

The Foreign Minister claimed that Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf had made concrete proposals which mostly he said had regrettably been rejected by India. On the other hand he said that Pakistan had reacted positively to Indian proposals. He also said it was high time that India realised the futility of speaking to Pakistan through the media. But he dismissed India's recent confidence-building measures as merely cancellation of menacing Indian military and political positions. He also rejected more recent strong language by Indian Defence Minister George Fernandes.

And he also frequently linked in the same sentence the situations in Palestine and Kashmire, without explaining in detail the comparisons or lack of similarities in these two conflicts. But he did refer to them as "occupied territories." And he called on the international community to assist both Palestine and Kashmir.

Without directly naming India, or other countries, he underlined that the fight against terrorism "must not be seen as a reason to suppress just struggles for freedom."

He also stressed a need to go "beneath the surface" and seek "the causes of desparation" and also underlined that this should not be seen as a clash of civilisations. He later explained he belief that there was "no such thing as militant Islam."

He suggested that Europe was "well placed" to be a "catalyst for positive change" at what he termed as "volatile moment in history. He termed the EU "a working model…a beacon of hope."

Kasuri also pointed to the South Asia Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) as a possible means of improving the dialogue and the economic conditions in the region. He added that he had discussed the planned but often-delayed SAARC summit meeting in Islamabad January 4-5 with his EU and Belgian hosts.

He also said that a major priority for the Pakistani Government was create a climate of stability that was conducive to attracting foreign direct investment.