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Pakistan calls for EU arms, troop training
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Monday appealed to the European Union for immediate supply of weapons and upgrading of its troops for defeating militancy and terrorism.
Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani has called upon the European Union to render immediate assistance to Pakistan in capacity building for its law-enforcement agencies through imparting training and supply of much needed sophisticated weapon systems to enable Pakistan to eliminate militancy and terrorism from its soil, said a statement issued by the prime ministers office after his meeting with EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana.
The prime minister called for creation of economic opportunities in terror-affected areas to address the root causes of terrorism, including poverty.
He also urged EU to expedite the GSP plus review for providing Pakistani goods greater market access to the EU markets and support negotiations for a free trade agreement.
The premier proposed that the EU should give preferential treatment to economies of countries hit by militancy so that they could recoup their losses and become politically and economically stable.
The prime minister asked the European Union to create a new category in GSP Plus arrangement for countries suffering from terrorism in order to separate Pakistans case from other countries aspiring for GSP Plus facilities, the statement said.
Earlier, speaking at a media conference with Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Mr Solana assured Islamabad that the EU would remain engaged with Pakistan in its campaign against terrorism and extremism.
He said the EU was working on a proposal to give Pakistan more access to its markets.
He acknowledged that Pakistan was passing through a difficult phase and recalled the steps taken recently for strengthening Pakistans ties with the 27-member bloc.
The EU granted 150 million euros in humanitarian assistance to Pakistan, in addition to 485 million euros pledged at a donors conference, in April.
Sharing his assessment of the relief operation for the people displaced by the military operation, Mr Solana said he had a sense of a work well done and was particularly impressed by the manner the complicated operation was handled.
Foreign Minister Qureshi urged the international community to immediately honour the pledges it had made for the relief and rehabilitation of the IDPs.
We also discussed Afghan narco-money, illicit weapons and how they are contributing to instability and militancy in Pakistan, Mr Qureshi said. Mr Solana later in the day called on President Asif Ali Zardari.
DAWN.COM | Pakistan | Pakistan calls for EU arms, troop training
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Monday appealed to the European Union for immediate supply of weapons and upgrading of its troops for defeating militancy and terrorism.
Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani has called upon the European Union to render immediate assistance to Pakistan in capacity building for its law-enforcement agencies through imparting training and supply of much needed sophisticated weapon systems to enable Pakistan to eliminate militancy and terrorism from its soil, said a statement issued by the prime ministers office after his meeting with EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana.
The prime minister called for creation of economic opportunities in terror-affected areas to address the root causes of terrorism, including poverty.
He also urged EU to expedite the GSP plus review for providing Pakistani goods greater market access to the EU markets and support negotiations for a free trade agreement.
The premier proposed that the EU should give preferential treatment to economies of countries hit by militancy so that they could recoup their losses and become politically and economically stable.
The prime minister asked the European Union to create a new category in GSP Plus arrangement for countries suffering from terrorism in order to separate Pakistans case from other countries aspiring for GSP Plus facilities, the statement said.
Earlier, speaking at a media conference with Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Mr Solana assured Islamabad that the EU would remain engaged with Pakistan in its campaign against terrorism and extremism.
He said the EU was working on a proposal to give Pakistan more access to its markets.
He acknowledged that Pakistan was passing through a difficult phase and recalled the steps taken recently for strengthening Pakistans ties with the 27-member bloc.
The EU granted 150 million euros in humanitarian assistance to Pakistan, in addition to 485 million euros pledged at a donors conference, in April.
Sharing his assessment of the relief operation for the people displaced by the military operation, Mr Solana said he had a sense of a work well done and was particularly impressed by the manner the complicated operation was handled.
Foreign Minister Qureshi urged the international community to immediately honour the pledges it had made for the relief and rehabilitation of the IDPs.
We also discussed Afghan narco-money, illicit weapons and how they are contributing to instability and militancy in Pakistan, Mr Qureshi said. Mr Solana later in the day called on President Asif Ali Zardari.
DAWN.COM | Pakistan | Pakistan calls for EU arms, troop training
