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US striving to regain Pakistan’s trust: Mullen
Wednesday, 30 Jun, 2010
WASHINGTON: The United States is working hard to regain Pakistan's trust following years of estrangement in the pre-9/11 period, but the effort is going to take time, America's top military officer said.
“It's not going to happen overnight,” Admiral Mike Mullen, Chairman Joint Chief Staff, said of regaining the Pakistanis' trust.
“I've seen significant commitments in the whole of (US) government,” Mullen said in an interview at Aspen Security Forum, Colorado.
The military leader also said Pakistan was making extraordinary efforts to ensure the safety of its nuclear assets.
Strong relations with Pakistan are important to stamping out terrorism in Afghanistan and Pakistan that threatens the United States, Mullen added.
The admiral noted that he recently returned from his 18th trip to Pakistan since becoming chairman.
“I believe the leadership in Pakistan recognises the importance of how it all turns out in Afghanistan,” he stated.
“We are in agreement that Afghanistan needs to be stable and peaceful. How we get there and the long-term commitment is critical. That's a huge part of the engagement strategy with Pakistan.”
The US and Nato strategy in Afghanistan is to dismantle the leadership of al-Qaeda to make the terrorist group ineffective, he said, adding that “the al-Qaeda leadership resides in Pakistan,” Mullen claimed.
Improving US-Pakistan relations that ebbed sharply in the 1990s — in the wake of the Soviet Union’s pullout from Afghanistan as a result of US-assisted fight by the Mujahideen — is important also in light of Pakistan's nuclear arsenal, Mullen noted.
He said he has discussed the issue with the Pakistan army.
“These are the most important weapons in the Pakistani arsenal. That is understood by the leadership, and they are making extraordinary efforts to protect and secure them. These are their crown jewels. As much as we are focused on this (terrorism) threat (on the western border) and the Pakistanis are more focused than they used to be, they see a threat in India (on the eastern border) and (having nuclear weapons) is their deterrent. They see this as a huge part of their national security,” he remarked.
As for efforts by Iran and North Korea to obtain nuclear weapons, Mullen described a different situation.
“There isn't any reason to trust (Iran),” he said. “There is an uncertainty associated with Iran that is very consistent with Iran for a long time.”
North Korea's desire for nuclear weapons and its increasing aggressiveness are causes for concern, the chairman said.
Mullen said he had put North Korea at the top of the list of nuclear proliferation concerns.
It is important to continue sanctions against Iran, North Korea, and other countries that ignore international law on nuclear weapons, Mullen said.
DAWN.COM | World | US striving to regain Pakistan?s trust: Admiral Mullen
Wednesday, 30 Jun, 2010
WASHINGTON: The United States is working hard to regain Pakistan's trust following years of estrangement in the pre-9/11 period, but the effort is going to take time, America's top military officer said.
“It's not going to happen overnight,” Admiral Mike Mullen, Chairman Joint Chief Staff, said of regaining the Pakistanis' trust.
“I've seen significant commitments in the whole of (US) government,” Mullen said in an interview at Aspen Security Forum, Colorado.
The military leader also said Pakistan was making extraordinary efforts to ensure the safety of its nuclear assets.
Strong relations with Pakistan are important to stamping out terrorism in Afghanistan and Pakistan that threatens the United States, Mullen added.
The admiral noted that he recently returned from his 18th trip to Pakistan since becoming chairman.
“I believe the leadership in Pakistan recognises the importance of how it all turns out in Afghanistan,” he stated.
“We are in agreement that Afghanistan needs to be stable and peaceful. How we get there and the long-term commitment is critical. That's a huge part of the engagement strategy with Pakistan.”
The US and Nato strategy in Afghanistan is to dismantle the leadership of al-Qaeda to make the terrorist group ineffective, he said, adding that “the al-Qaeda leadership resides in Pakistan,” Mullen claimed.
Improving US-Pakistan relations that ebbed sharply in the 1990s — in the wake of the Soviet Union’s pullout from Afghanistan as a result of US-assisted fight by the Mujahideen — is important also in light of Pakistan's nuclear arsenal, Mullen noted.
He said he has discussed the issue with the Pakistan army.
“These are the most important weapons in the Pakistani arsenal. That is understood by the leadership, and they are making extraordinary efforts to protect and secure them. These are their crown jewels. As much as we are focused on this (terrorism) threat (on the western border) and the Pakistanis are more focused than they used to be, they see a threat in India (on the eastern border) and (having nuclear weapons) is their deterrent. They see this as a huge part of their national security,” he remarked.
As for efforts by Iran and North Korea to obtain nuclear weapons, Mullen described a different situation.
“There isn't any reason to trust (Iran),” he said. “There is an uncertainty associated with Iran that is very consistent with Iran for a long time.”
North Korea's desire for nuclear weapons and its increasing aggressiveness are causes for concern, the chairman said.
Mullen said he had put North Korea at the top of the list of nuclear proliferation concerns.
It is important to continue sanctions against Iran, North Korea, and other countries that ignore international law on nuclear weapons, Mullen said.
DAWN.COM | World | US striving to regain Pakistan?s trust: Admiral Mullen
