[world-vedic] Clinton ignores invite to Pakistan

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>Title: Clinton ignores envoy's invitation to visit Pakistan

>Author: Aziz Haniffa,

>Publication: India Abroad

>February 4, 2000

>

> Washington, Feb. 4 -- United States President Bill

> Clinton on Thursday completely ignored Pakistani

> Ambassador Maleeha Lodhi's invitation to visit Pakistan

>and,

> instead, repeated his call to Islamabad to move quickly

> toward restoration of democracy.

>

> During a meeting at the White House Oval Office, where

>Lodhi

> presented her credentials, Clinton made absolutely no

>mention

> of his trip to South Asia in March, but voiced deep

> disappointment with the military coup in Pakistan in

>October

> last year and expressed Washington's readiness to work

> "intensively" to see an India-Pakistan dialogue resume.

>

> Lodhi, in her statement, extended to the President and

>his

> wife Hillary Clinton "a warm and sincere invitation from

>the

> people and government of Pakistan." Washington had

>announced

> earlier this week that Clinton would visit India and

> Bangladesh beginning March 20, without including

>Pakistan in

> his itinerary.

>

> Lodhi said while Washington's "relations with India and

> Pakistan should not be a zero-sum game," the U.S. "needs

>to

> maintain a balance in its relations with those two South

> Asian states, specially in the strategic, security and

> non-proliferation areas where the mutual and reciprocal

> contributions of India and Pakistan are essential for

> success."

>

> Clinton, in his reply to Lodhi, spoke of how "as a

>friend,

> the United States was very disappointed by the setback

>to

> Pakistan's democracy that last year's military takeover

> represents."

>

> "We hope that Pakistan will move quickly to return to

> civilian rule with a democracy that is participatory,

> accountable and respectful of citizens' rights,

>including

> those of the minority religious communities in

>Pakistan," he

> said.

>

> Clinton also bemoaned the situation in Afghanistan,

>saying

> "where the United States and Pakistan once worked so

> effectively together has fallen into disorder and civil

>war."

> He said he hoped "in the coming months we will be able

>to

> work together, through a process involving Pakistan and

> Afghanistan's other neighbors, to see an Afghanistan at

> peace, no longer a safe haven to terrorists and with a

> government which more closely represents all Afghans."

>

> Clinton also said the "development of nuclear weapons

>and

> missile delivery systems by India and Pakistan have

>raised

> the awful specter of nuclear war to a more clear and

>present

> danger than we have seen in many years."

>

> "The United States believes that this competition is

> fundamentally destructive -- not only to internationally

> shared non-proliferation norms, but also to chances for

> reconciliation between India and Pakistan and for

>increased

> economic growth and development in both countries," he

>said.

> "We hope Pakistan will sign the CTBT (Comprehensive Test

>Ban

> Treaty) and take other steps to reduce this costly and

> destabilizing competition."

>

> Clinton acknowledged that Washington was "mindful that

> long-standing tensions and disputes between Pakistan and

> India fuel this competition; indeed, they make it more

> dangerous." Consequently, he said: "The United States is

> prepared to work intensively to see dialogue between

>Pakistan

> and India on all issues resume and intensify."

>

> Clinton, who welcomed Lodhi back to Washington for her

>second

> stint as envoy of Pakistan, acknowledged that Washington

>and

> Islamabad have enjoyed historically close ties since

> Pakistan's independence in 1947. "We stood

> shoulder-to-shoulder during the Soviet invasion of

> Afghanistan, supporting a resistance that eventually

> prevailed against long odds," he said.

>

 

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