ID :
34025
Fri, 12/05/2008 - 09:44
Auther :
Shortlink :
http://m.oananews.org//node/34025
The shortlink copeid
Pak understands responsibility to tackle terror: Rice
Rezaul H Laskar
Islamabad, Dec 4 (PTI) Appearing to change the tone after tough talk on Mumbai attacks, the US Thursday said Pakistan "understands its responsibilities" to respond to terrorism wherever it exists and sounded convinced that Islamabad would act against those responsible for the strikes in India.
After her meetings with President Asif Ali Zardari and
Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, US Secretary of State
Condoleezza Rice said she "fully believed" that Pakistan would
investigate the leads into the Mumbai attacks as Islamabad is
"committed" to the war against terror and "does not want, in
any way, to be associated with terrorists".
Noting that she was satisfied with her talks with the
Pakistani leadership, she told reporters that she had found
that Islamabad "understands its responsibilities to respond to
terrorism and extremism wherever it is found."
"We talked at some length on the attack on Mumbai and
about the importance of Pakistan taking its responsibility to
deal with those who may use Pakistani territory even if they
are non-state actors," she said after her meetings with
Zardari and Gilani here soon after flying in from New Delhi.
"I found a Pakistani leadership that is very focussed
and committed for its own reasons because Pakistan has been a
victim of these terrorist elements," said Rice who had talked
tough on the Mumbai attacks during her visit to India
Wednesday.
"(The leadership) is very committed to acting and
Pakistan is going to investigate the circumstances, what may
have happened to support in any way the attacks in Mumbai
because the Pakistani government, I was told and I fully
believe, is very committed to the war on terror and does not
in any way want to be associated with terrorist elements," she
said.
Zardari, during his meeting with Rice, said Pakistan
government "will not only assist in investigation (into the
Mumbai strikes) but also take strong action against any
Pakistani elements found involved in the attack".
"Pakistan is determined to ensure that its territory is
not used for any act of terrorism," he said.
After the meeting, Rice claimed that Pakistan "is indeed
fighting to root them (terrorists) out wherever they find
them. And therefore I found these conversations (with the
leadership here) quite satisfactory."
She said "extremists who continue to strike" in various
parts of the world have struck here in Pakistan. "This is also
Pakistan's security concern and in all of my meetings I have
found a Pakistani government that is focussed on the threat."
Replying to a question on India sharing evidence
regarding the attacks in Mumbai that claimed 183 lives, Rice
said "I think there is a lot of information about what
happened here. And so this isn't an issue of sharing evidence.
"There is a lot of information and there are many
mechanisms through which to share that information. That
information needs to be used now to get the perpetrators and
to prevent them from doing this again."
Asked how confident she was on Indian and Pakistani
governments working together effectively, Rice expressed hope
that the two sides will keep the lines of communication open.
"It's a difficult time but I do want to just note that we
are starting, when this incident happened, relations between
India and Pakistan had improved considerably. And so that's a
good thing. It's good that you are starting from a base in
which relations were improving rather than relations in a bad
state.
"But obviously what is going to need to be done here is
that the cooperation, the efforts to move forward are going to
have to result in bringing the perpetrators to justice and in
preventing further attacks," she said.
To a question on the US role in investigation into the
Mumbai attacks, Rice said Washington is prepared to help in
whatever it can.
"There's considerable capacity on the side of India,
there's considerable capacity on the side of Pakistan. It is
our intention to augment that in any way that is helpful. I
had conversations in Britain, they have the same attitude.
"We will be helpful in any way that we can but obviously
the best thing is that these two countries do what they can
through their own capacity to fully investigate and bring
people to justice who perpetrated that," she said.
Describing the Mumbai strikes as "a terrible and
sophisticated attack" not seen in the subcontinent before,
Rice said "there is an urgency to getting to the bottom of
it and to bringing the perpetrators to justice and using the
information to disrupt and prevent further attacks."
"Everyone needs to stay focussed on those priorities. The
US is focussed on those priorities because Americans were also
killed in these attacks. So it's of special concern to us.
"But it reminds us that this is a global struggle and all
responsible states have to play their role in making certain
that the terrorists can't get away with this kind of attack,"
she said. PTI RHL
Islamabad, Dec 4 (PTI) Appearing to change the tone after tough talk on Mumbai attacks, the US Thursday said Pakistan "understands its responsibilities" to respond to terrorism wherever it exists and sounded convinced that Islamabad would act against those responsible for the strikes in India.
After her meetings with President Asif Ali Zardari and
Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, US Secretary of State
Condoleezza Rice said she "fully believed" that Pakistan would
investigate the leads into the Mumbai attacks as Islamabad is
"committed" to the war against terror and "does not want, in
any way, to be associated with terrorists".
Noting that she was satisfied with her talks with the
Pakistani leadership, she told reporters that she had found
that Islamabad "understands its responsibilities to respond to
terrorism and extremism wherever it is found."
"We talked at some length on the attack on Mumbai and
about the importance of Pakistan taking its responsibility to
deal with those who may use Pakistani territory even if they
are non-state actors," she said after her meetings with
Zardari and Gilani here soon after flying in from New Delhi.
"I found a Pakistani leadership that is very focussed
and committed for its own reasons because Pakistan has been a
victim of these terrorist elements," said Rice who had talked
tough on the Mumbai attacks during her visit to India
Wednesday.
"(The leadership) is very committed to acting and
Pakistan is going to investigate the circumstances, what may
have happened to support in any way the attacks in Mumbai
because the Pakistani government, I was told and I fully
believe, is very committed to the war on terror and does not
in any way want to be associated with terrorist elements," she
said.
Zardari, during his meeting with Rice, said Pakistan
government "will not only assist in investigation (into the
Mumbai strikes) but also take strong action against any
Pakistani elements found involved in the attack".
"Pakistan is determined to ensure that its territory is
not used for any act of terrorism," he said.
After the meeting, Rice claimed that Pakistan "is indeed
fighting to root them (terrorists) out wherever they find
them. And therefore I found these conversations (with the
leadership here) quite satisfactory."
She said "extremists who continue to strike" in various
parts of the world have struck here in Pakistan. "This is also
Pakistan's security concern and in all of my meetings I have
found a Pakistani government that is focussed on the threat."
Replying to a question on India sharing evidence
regarding the attacks in Mumbai that claimed 183 lives, Rice
said "I think there is a lot of information about what
happened here. And so this isn't an issue of sharing evidence.
"There is a lot of information and there are many
mechanisms through which to share that information. That
information needs to be used now to get the perpetrators and
to prevent them from doing this again."
Asked how confident she was on Indian and Pakistani
governments working together effectively, Rice expressed hope
that the two sides will keep the lines of communication open.
"It's a difficult time but I do want to just note that we
are starting, when this incident happened, relations between
India and Pakistan had improved considerably. And so that's a
good thing. It's good that you are starting from a base in
which relations were improving rather than relations in a bad
state.
"But obviously what is going to need to be done here is
that the cooperation, the efforts to move forward are going to
have to result in bringing the perpetrators to justice and in
preventing further attacks," she said.
To a question on the US role in investigation into the
Mumbai attacks, Rice said Washington is prepared to help in
whatever it can.
"There's considerable capacity on the side of India,
there's considerable capacity on the side of Pakistan. It is
our intention to augment that in any way that is helpful. I
had conversations in Britain, they have the same attitude.
"We will be helpful in any way that we can but obviously
the best thing is that these two countries do what they can
through their own capacity to fully investigate and bring
people to justice who perpetrated that," she said.
Describing the Mumbai strikes as "a terrible and
sophisticated attack" not seen in the subcontinent before,
Rice said "there is an urgency to getting to the bottom of
it and to bringing the perpetrators to justice and using the
information to disrupt and prevent further attacks."
"Everyone needs to stay focussed on those priorities. The
US is focussed on those priorities because Americans were also
killed in these attacks. So it's of special concern to us.
"But it reminds us that this is a global struggle and all
responsible states have to play their role in making certain
that the terrorists can't get away with this kind of attack,"
she said. PTI RHL
