By NNN-KUNA,
Brussels : US Special Representative to Afghanistan and Pakistan, Richard Holbrooke, praised here Friday Muslim countries for their efforts in promoting democracy and stability in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
“In both cases in Afghanistan and Pakistan so many nations are supporting this effort from the Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC), Egypt, Turkey, Jordan, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Bangladesh,” he told a press conference during a meeting of Friends of Democratic Pakistan forum.
“The core point here is that the argument of the extremists, the Al-Qaeda, the Taliban that this is a clash of civilisations is completely wrong. The world can see that Muslim and non-Muslim nations alike meet together to support democracy in Pakistan and in Afghanistan and we are very pleased with that,” he added.
Sitting next to Holbrooke, the new US ambassador to Pakistan Cameron Munter said that representatives of key East Asian countries were also present in the Brussels’ meeting.
“So this is truly global effort regardless of people’s background to work to support democracy. It is not just the Europeans or the Americans or Muslims, it is world wide,” Munter added.
The forum on Pakistan consists of 26 countries and institutions including Egypt, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, UAE and the Islamic Development Bank.