Worlds flood response gaining momentum: FO
Friday September 03, 2010 (1443 PST)
ISLAMABAD: The International communitys response to the floods is gradually gaining momentum and the country has so far received pledges of $1 billion from the world, the Foreign Office said on Thursday.
During a weekly press briefing, Foreign Office spokesman Abdul Basit said that Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi had visited four Gulf Cooperation Council countries, including Oman, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Qatar. The leaders of these nations have assured all possible assistance. He said the government planned to convene a donors conference to seek support for relief and rehabilitation of flood victims.
Events: He said a number of other events had also been planned to generate world support and apprise the international community about the damage caused by the unprecedented floods. These, he said, included a ministerial meeting in New York on the 19th of this month, followed by the Friends of Democratic Pakistan forum meeting in Brussels on October 15th, both of which will be focused on floods.
Replying to a question about Chinese citizens presence in Gilgit-Baltistan, the spokesman said they were assisting in reopening the Karakoram Highway damaged by floods and landslides, and were also helping flood-affected people in Gilgit-Baltistan. Basit described as shocking a statement by Indian-held Kashmir Chief Minister Omer Abdullah that Kashmir is an integral part of India. He stressed that Kashmir was a disputed territory and the matter should be resolved in accordance with the aspirations of the Kashmiri people and UN resolutions. On investigation into the Samjhota Express bombing, Basit said there had been no progress and expressed hope that New Delhi would expedite the process and bring the perpetrators to book, saying 60 Pakistanis had lost their lives in the train fire incident.
When asked about the match-fixing scandal involving Pakistani cricketers, the spokesman said that investigations were ongoing and the government had not yet received any report from its high commissioner to Britain. He, however, said that Pakistan was ready to send its team to jointly investigate the scandal and is waiting for Londons response on this.
On the situation in Afghanistan, Basit said Pakistan believed that the US was committed to bringing stability in the war-torn country and is implementing a holistic policy announced by President Obama last year. He said Pakistan hoped the international community would sustain its commitment to the country until credible stability was achieved there.
TTP: He said Pakistan welcomed the US move of declaring the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan a terrorist organisation. He also welcomed US troops withdrawal from Iraq, saying this would bring a new turn and bring stability in that country.
Replying to a question about misuse of an outdoor advertisement facility provided to the Pakistan Consulate in New York by NASDAQ to raise funds for the flood victims, the spokesman said Pakistans embassy in Washington had been asked to investigate the matter and submit its report to the Foreign Office. He, however, added, that only 30 seconds had been offered to display the message on the NASDAQ TV screen, not 30 minutes as reported by the media.
End.
perhaps we might build a few air bases or station a few missiles there ....who knows.....
so called strategic game
