By NNN-APP,
Washington : The United States is committed to a wide-ranging partnership with Pakistan and believes its close ties with both Islamabad and New Delhi will have a positive bearing for the two South Asian neighbours’ bilateral relations, says a top US diplomat
“I think it’s pretty clear from the level of engagement that we have with the government of Pakistan that we view this as a crucial relationship,” James B. Steinberg, Deputy Secretary of State, told the Council on Foreign Relations.
Washington, he said, has a “significant stake in building a Pakistan that is stable, democratic, economically growing and providing for the needs of its people, and dealing with the problems of terrorism and the potential risks of proliferation in that region.”
Steinberg said the Obama administration recognizes that addressing terrorism challenge in the South Asian region will take time a sustained partnership between the United States and Pakistan.
“If we are going to deal with these challenges, it will take time and will take a sustained relationship and that we’re better off if we can build trust and confidence in the sustainability of that relationship. That means to make sure that we’re not just focusing on one issue; however it is important at the time, but also understanding that there are a range of concerns and issues,” the Deputy Secretary of State remarked.
“That’s why, for example, we’ve tried to move forward on our agenda with the reconstruction opportunity zones in Pakistan to create some economic opportunity. That’s why working with the Congress, we’ve tried to broaden our assistance programme to make clear that this is to benefit broad sectors of the Pakistani society and not just focused to counter terrorism efforts,” he explained.
Commenting on suspicion in Pakistan about the United States, the diplomat acknowledged “we’ve had a less than fully sustained relationship over the past 30 years, and so we have to rebuild that trust, understanding that we’re not going to necessarily see eye to eye on everything but that the more we can convince each other that in the long term our interests are largely convergent and that we are prepared to engage for the long term, the greater the likelihood that we will be responsive to each other’s concerns and interests.”
Questioned as to how the US strikes a balance in maintaining close civilian and security ties with both Pakistan and India, Steinberg replied :
“I think the key here is to understand that from the U.S. perspective, we have to deal with the two relationships in parallel and, whatever the issues are between them, that we can’t let our judgment about what is the best relationship for the United States bilaterally with India and bilaterally with Pakistan be determined by the views of the other about what that is.”
“This fundamental idea of de-hyphenating the relationship, I think, is at the core of a successful strategy. It doesn’t mean that there aren’t going to be differences. There are going to be differences, and there are going to be things that each would want from each other. But our response has to be that we are not going to refuse to deal with one because the other doesn’t want it. But it’s symmetrical, which is we’re also not going to refuse to deal with the other because the first is against it,” he added.
Steinberg felt that “over time, as both countries understand that we’re building the relationship, we build trust, we build depth and breadth to those relationships, it becomes easier to tolerate those places where they still see it in the zero sum way with each other.”
In the context of Pakistan-India relations, he welcomed the recent moves by two countries towards resumption of peace dialogue.
“We certainly don’t want to overstate it but I think the recent agreement by the two prime ministers to go forward with their dialogue is obviously something welcome we hope that if we build a good, positive relationship with both, that will provide a context that may make it easier for the two of them to have a better relationship with each other.”