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Bush to visit India, Pakistan in March
(AFP)
Updated: 2006-01-25 08:43
US President George W. Bush said he will travel to India and Pakistan in
March, as visiting Pakistan Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz urged "closer
communication and coordination" against terrorism.
That was as close as Aziz came in public remarks at the White House to
rebuking Washington over a suspected US air strike in remote Pakistan targetting
Al-Qaeda members that killed as many as 18 civilians, angering many Pakistanis.
Asked after his meeting with Bush whether they discussed the attack, for
which Washington refuses to take responsibility, Aziz told reporters: "We
discussed every issue which related to relations between the two countries."
"We discussed the war on terror and the need for closer communication and
coordination to take this effort forward," the prime minister said after a
nearly two-hour long meeting with Bush.
During a brief joint public appearance in the Oval Office, the president
praised Pakistan as a strong ally in the global war on terrorism and announced
that he would visit Pakistan and India in March.
US President Bush (R) looks on as Pakistan's
Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz speaks following their meeting in the Oval
Office, January 24, 2006.[Reuters] | "I'm really
looking forward to going to your country," said Bush, who had been expected to
visit the region early this year. "I want to thank you for your invitation and
your hospitality in advance."
Bush and Aziz papered over tensions resulting from the airstrike, and
emphasized cooperation on issues like the global war on terrorism, fighting the
spread of nuclear weapons technology, and trade.
They also highlighted US efforts to help Pakistan recover from the
devastating October 2005 earthquake, the worst in the country's history, which
killed nearly 74,000 people and left more than three million homeless.
"I was very pleased that the United States, our taxpayers, our military,
could contribute to helping the people of Pakistan recover. They are our
friends," said Bush.
"A sense of caring and sharing always builds a better relationship between
countries. And that's what we are seeing between Pakistan and the United
States," said the prime minister.
"We also strive for peace in our area. It's an area which has a lot of
challenges, and we are pursuing peace with all our neighbors. We want a solution
of all disputes, including the Kashmir dispute," said Aziz.
Nuclear rivals India and Pakistan each hold the Himalayan region of Kashmir
in part but claim it in full. The dispute has kept ties between the neighbors
tense for almost six decades and triggered two of their three wars since 1947.
The prime minister also said Pakistan wanted "a strong, stable Afghanistan"
and that Islamabad was "against proliferation of nuclear weapons by anybody. And
we want to fight terrorism in all its forms and manifestations."
"I think the relationship with Pakistan is a vital relationship for the
United States," said Bush. "We're working closely to defeat the terrorists who
would like to harm America and harm Pakistan."
The meeting came after Al-Qaeda mastermind Osama bin Laden threatened fresh
attacks on the United States in a new audiotape, and following the suspected US
Central Intelligence Agency airstrike on January 13.
The strike on the remote village of Damadola, in a tribal area bordering
Afghanistan, was reportedly aimed at killing Al-Qaeda's number two, Ayman
al-Zawahiri, during a gathering of senior Al-Qaeda operatives there.
Bush spokesman Scott McClellan suggested that the United States reserved the
right to future military strikes, telling reporters: "This president has made it
clear we're going to pursue terrorists wherever they are."
But Bush and Aziz "talked about how we're working together in the war on
terrorism and how it's important to continue working together. They talked about
continuing to work to improve cooperation and coordination," he
said.
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