ID :
173565
Wed, 04/06/2011 - 14:46
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http://m.oananews.org//node/173565
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UK, Pakistan bonds are "unbreakable" says British PM Cameron
Islamabad, April 05, 2011 (PPI): Visiting British Prime Minister David Cameron Tuesday said UK-Pakistan links are "unbreakable" and outlined initiatives on security and education on his first visit to the country. He also said two countries had "no higher shared priority" than tackling terrorism both in Asia and elsewhere.
Cameron was criticized last year for claiming that Pakistan "looked both ways" when it came to terrorism. He said both countries had made "real progress" on discussions focused on security and counter-terrorism. British Premier sparked anger in Pakistan on a trip to neighbouring India last year when he accused elements in Pakistan of promoting "export of terror."
But, at news conference after talks with Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani, Cameron said he believed Pakistan government was committed to fighting terrorism within its borders but said it was "not unhelpful" to urge its ally to do everything it could to tackle the threat. "What you see in Pakistan today is a huge fight taking place by the government against terrorism. Pakistan has lost many, many people in that fight," he added.
After attending first meeting of UK-Pakistan National Security Dialogue - a civilian and military counter-terrorism forum - Cameron, who is accompanied by head of armed forces General Sir David Richards & M16 Chief Sir John Sawers said there would be increased co-operation at the "sharp end" to disrupt the work of terrorist groups. "We have no higher shared priority than tackling terrorism together. That means challenging extremist ideology that fuels it and ensuring effective operational co-operation between our police and intelligence agencies."
He offered to share UK's expertise in fighting roadside bombs at a new centre near Peshawar to provide training in detection and forensic investigation of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) as well as bomb disposal.
According to BBC, British officials have played down fears of links between Pakistani security services and the Taliban, insisting they were no longer providing support to insurgency in Afghanistan and were committed to defeating them both in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Cameron who earlier visited Islamabad School for girls pledged £650m of additional aid for Pakistan's schools system. He said four-year package of support would help an extra four million children go to primary schools, train an extra 90,000 teachers and provide six million text books.
He defended aid, at a time when spending on public services including education is being cut in UK, as an "investment for Britain. I would struggle to find a country that is more in Britain's interests to see progress and succeed than Pakistan," he added. "If Pakistan is a success, we will have a good friend to trade with and deal with in future. If we fail, we will have all problems of migration and extremism that we don't want to see. It is in our interests that Pakistan succeeds."
Cameron was criticized last year for claiming that Pakistan "looked both ways" when it came to terrorism. He said both countries had made "real progress" on discussions focused on security and counter-terrorism. British Premier sparked anger in Pakistan on a trip to neighbouring India last year when he accused elements in Pakistan of promoting "export of terror."
But, at news conference after talks with Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani, Cameron said he believed Pakistan government was committed to fighting terrorism within its borders but said it was "not unhelpful" to urge its ally to do everything it could to tackle the threat. "What you see in Pakistan today is a huge fight taking place by the government against terrorism. Pakistan has lost many, many people in that fight," he added.
After attending first meeting of UK-Pakistan National Security Dialogue - a civilian and military counter-terrorism forum - Cameron, who is accompanied by head of armed forces General Sir David Richards & M16 Chief Sir John Sawers said there would be increased co-operation at the "sharp end" to disrupt the work of terrorist groups. "We have no higher shared priority than tackling terrorism together. That means challenging extremist ideology that fuels it and ensuring effective operational co-operation between our police and intelligence agencies."
He offered to share UK's expertise in fighting roadside bombs at a new centre near Peshawar to provide training in detection and forensic investigation of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) as well as bomb disposal.
According to BBC, British officials have played down fears of links between Pakistani security services and the Taliban, insisting they were no longer providing support to insurgency in Afghanistan and were committed to defeating them both in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Cameron who earlier visited Islamabad School for girls pledged £650m of additional aid for Pakistan's schools system. He said four-year package of support would help an extra four million children go to primary schools, train an extra 90,000 teachers and provide six million text books.
He defended aid, at a time when spending on public services including education is being cut in UK, as an "investment for Britain. I would struggle to find a country that is more in Britain's interests to see progress and succeed than Pakistan," he added. "If Pakistan is a success, we will have a good friend to trade with and deal with in future. If we fail, we will have all problems of migration and extremism that we don't want to see. It is in our interests that Pakistan succeeds."
