Ties (with Pakistan) Bigger than just Terror War

This appeared in today's online edition of Dawn as released from Associated Press of Pakistan (APP). President Bush was interviewed by Pakistan Television Corporation (PTV) on Saturday and his interview was broadcasted to the country of Pakistan.

WASHINGTON, Feb 25: President George Bush has said the United States and Pakistan “is a relationship that’s much bigger than just the war on terror.”

“There are ways for us, beyond the war on terror — and by the way, the war on terror is a critical aspect of our relationship, don’t get me wrong,” he stated in an interview with the PTV telecast on Saturday.

About his upcoming visit to Pakistan, he said: “It’s a trip that’s of goodwill and importance.”

Asked what was his vision for making this trip “more meaningful and productive,” he said “the first thing that’s really important for people to understand is that relations between our countries often times depend on the relations between the leaders.”

In other words, he added: “President Musharraf and I can set a tone for the relationship because of our capacity to talk to each other,” and he added, “it’s important” to “share concerns and to talk about ideas.”

“So, one object of the trip is to continue what is a good relationship. A good relationship between me and the president tends to permeate throughout our government.”

“One reason we’ve got a good relationship is we speak frankly with each other.”

And so he’s not only a man who’s shown great courage in the face of adversity, but
he does have a vision of how to work together to achieve common objectives.”

He said that he wanted the people of Pakistan to know that the American people care about them, “that ours is a relationship that’s much bigger than just the war on terror; that when our Chinooks flew supplies into the rural part of Pakistan, it wasn’t out of a sense of just kind of pure diplomacy, it was out of a sense of care and concern about the individuals. And I understand sometimes people may wonder about our motives, wonder about America’s true concerns.”

The visit, he added would give him a chance to speak to the people of Pakistan “and say, look, we care for you,” and remind people that in our country there’s great Pakistani Americans.”

He commended the contribution of Pakistani Americans, saying: “We’re a rich society because we’ve got people from around the world, including people who were born and! raised in Pakistan and have now chosen America as a home. And so it’s a trip that’s of goodwill and importance.”

President Bush said: “We want people to understand this relationship is a vital relationship that will exist throughout the years.”

The question was that the relations between the United States and Pakistan have fluctuated in the past, and what measures would you suggest to make it more durable and sustainable for the days to come.

He said: “One way we can do that is increase trade opportunities between our countries,” and disclosed that both the leaders would be talking about a bilateral investment treaty.

STUDENT EXCHANGES: Student exchanges, he added was another matter to be discussed. “I understand there’s been some issues with visas and we’ve got to work through those, because I believe the more Pakistani youngsters who come to America to study will get to really see what America is all about.”

On the other hand, he said as more Americans go to Pakistan to study, “they will see what Pakistan is all about.”

He said the other thing that’s interesting and important for the people of Pakistan to know is “that President Musharraf, in his democracy initiative, can show the whole Muslim world, and the world itself, that it’s possible to have a religion that is not extreme, and a state that listens to people and responds to the needs of people. And that’s a really important message that Pakistan can show the world.”

President Bush said that he would “continue to talk to my buddy and my friend about his goals for a democratic Pakistan.”

TRADE: “Trade is very important,” he replied asked what economic incentive would you offer to Pakistan during the forthcoming visit.

“And one of the steps on a robust trading relationship is what’s called the Bilateral Investment Treaty, and that’s an important part of the process.”

He said “every time the President (Gen Musharraf) talks to me, he’s talking about markets, and I understand that. But he also understands that there’s some steps needed before this robust trade.”

“I must applaud the President’s vision for the Pakistan economy, “he said, adding “and in our world, politics, there’s a lot of talk and a lot of kind of big noise. But the truth of the matter is what matters is results.”

He said Pakistan’s economy is strong, “and that’s good news.”

“That’s really good news for the people of Pakistan, first and foremost, because, obviously, if people can make a living and do well, they can see the benefits of democracy — tangible benefits of living in a system where people are free to express themselves, but where the marketplace is the economic determinant.”

TERRORISM: Asked as to what strategy US has adopted for tackling terrorism, he said “first of all, freedom defeats an ideology of hatred.”

He said he calls them “the enemy” because “they’ll kill innocent Pakistanis, they kill innocent Americans.”

President Bush added that “more Muslims have died at the hands of Al Qaeda and these extremists than anybody else,” and added: “I don’t view these people as religious people. I view them as people who have taken a great religion and kind of twisted it to meet their means.”

He said: “It’s a vision that doesn’t recognize the freedom of people to worship.”—APP

Technorati tags: Pakistan, Foreign Relations, War on Terror,President Bush, President Musharraf, Foreign Trade, Student Exchange, Al Quaeda, Muslim, Extremists, Freedom, journalists, Opinion