Saturday, March 20, 2010
U.S. "extremely gratified" by Pak arrest of Baradar: Holbrooke
From The Hindu
At a press briefing on the upcoming Strategic Dialogue between the Untied States and Pakistan, Richard Holbrooke, Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, said the U.S. was “extremely gratified that the Pakistani Government has apprehended the number-two person in the Taliban.”
His reaction comes shortly on the back of revelations by former UN staff that secret negotiations with the Taliban for greater peace in Afghanistan might have slowed down due to the arrest of Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, Afghan Taliban’s number two commander.
Mr. Holbrooke said many other militants and groups have been picked up or eliminated, and this is increasing the pressure on the Taliban; he added that this was “a good thing for the simplest of reasons: It is good for the military efforts that are underway in Afghanistan.”
Mr. Holbrooke was asked about the revelation by former UN Representative in Afghanistan Kai Eide that he was in talks with senior Taliban leaders since last spring and that those talks were shut down after the Pakistani authorities began arresting senior Afghan Taliban leaders like Baradar.
Reacting to the question about revelations by former UN Representative in Afghanistan Kai Eide that he was in talks with senior Taliban leaders since last spring and that those talks were shut down after the Pakistan arrested Baradar, he said, the arrest “is not related to the issue that you’re addressing.” President Karzai has said he wanted a reconciliation program with all Afghans, including people fighting with the Taliban and President Obama has said we support Afghan-led reconciliation, Mr. Holbrooke said.
On the importance of the talks to U.S.-Pakistan relationships Mr. Holbrooke said, “It marks a major intensification of our partnership, and we welcome the extremely high caliber delegation which Pakistan is sending. It will be lead, of course, by Foreign Minister Qureshi..” He added that President Obama and Secretary Clinton have long stressed the breadth and depth of the U.S.-Pakistan relationship: “This is a partnership that goes far beyond security, but security’s an important part of it,” he said.
Clarifying the intention behind the Strategic Dialogue Mr. Holbrooke said “This strategic dialogue with Pakistan is not at the expense of any other country in the region.” Also there would be no question of telling Pakistan what to do militarily in North Waziristan: “”The Pakistani army, since May of last year, has gone into Swat, where two divisions remain. They have gone into South Waziristan, where an additional number of troops are deployed. They have taken remarkable steps to push back people who threaten their security. What they do in North Waziristan is a decision for them to make.”
However a few days ago Mark Toner, Deputy Spokesman at the State Department said in press interaction, “Obviously, we’re talking about… Afghanistan, the situation there, the spill-over into the FATA [Federally Administered Tribal Areas] and how to really better engage. And in fact, we’ve seen some successes on that front in recent weeks on terrorism,” he added.
In terms of substantively content of the dialogue, Mr. Holbrooke explained that the two countries would “talk about our basic core objectives, [including] defeating, destroying al-Qaida; helping the Afghans become self-reliant so they can take care of their own security; strengthening Pakistan’s ability to – with its own security; development; strengthening democratic institutions.”
Mr. Holbrooke expressed hope that the next round of Strategic Dialogue would be held in Islamabad “within the next six months.”
Labels: al Qaeda, Holbrooke, ISI, Kayani, Mumbai attacks, terrorism, U.S Special envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan, Zardari
Friday, March 05, 2010
Holbrooke regrets remarks on Kabul attack
From The Hindu
Richard Holbrooke, the United States’ Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, has apologised for any misunderstandings arising from remarks he made here on Tuesday, suggesting that Indians were not targeted in the February 26 suicide attacks in Kabul.
In a statement here Mr. Holbrooke said, “I regret any misunderstanding caused by my comments on the recent terrorist attack in Kabul, which claimed the lives of 6 Indians and at least ten citizens of other nations”. He went on to clarify that he did not say Indians were not targeted, but that initially it appeared that the target was not an “official” Indian facility.
In the coordinated suicide attacks at two hotels in Kabul up to nine Indians were killed, including two senior Army officers. One attack site was the Park Residence Hotel, regularly used by Indian embassy for its staff and Indians engaged in development work in Afghanistan.
Following the attacks Foreign Minister S.M. Krishna had said, “These barbaric attacks are a matter of deep concern and are clearly aimed against the people of India and the people of Afghanistan”. He said that this was the work of those who were desperate to undermine the friendship between India and Afghanistan.
Speaking to The Hindu on Thursday, following Mr. Holbrooke’s comments, senior officials in New Delhi had said, the comments were “absolutely incorrect” and ignored the fact that the terrorists' primary target was a building used by the Indian medical mission.
Earlier this week in Washington Mr. Holbrooke caused a furore when he said, “I don’t accept the fact that this was an attack on an Indian facility like the embassy. There were foreigners, non-Indian foreigners hurt. It was a soft target. And let’s not jump to conclusions”. He further said, “Let’s not draw a conclusion for which there’s no proof”.
Yesterday however he withdrew his statements saying, “We all know that Indian citizens have and continue to be targeted by terrorists, including inside Afghanistan. My heart goes out to the families of all of the victims”. Mr. Holbrooke added that both the Afghan people and international community deeply appreciated the substantial humanitarian and reconstruction assistance that India was providing to Afghanistan.
The willingness of India to take risks and make sacrifices to help Afghanistan was a vital part of the international commitment to Afghanistan's future, Mr. Holbrooke clarified.
Richard Holbrooke, the United States’ Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, has apologised for any misunderstandings arising from remarks he made here on Tuesday, suggesting that Indians were not targeted in the February 26 suicide attacks in Kabul.
In a statement here Mr. Holbrooke said, “I regret any misunderstanding caused by my comments on the recent terrorist attack in Kabul, which claimed the lives of 6 Indians and at least ten citizens of other nations”. He went on to clarify that he did not say Indians were not targeted, but that initially it appeared that the target was not an “official” Indian facility.
In the coordinated suicide attacks at two hotels in Kabul up to nine Indians were killed, including two senior Army officers. One attack site was the Park Residence Hotel, regularly used by Indian embassy for its staff and Indians engaged in development work in Afghanistan.
Following the attacks Foreign Minister S.M. Krishna had said, “These barbaric attacks are a matter of deep concern and are clearly aimed against the people of India and the people of Afghanistan”. He said that this was the work of those who were desperate to undermine the friendship between India and Afghanistan.
Speaking to The Hindu on Thursday, following Mr. Holbrooke’s comments, senior officials in New Delhi had said, the comments were “absolutely incorrect” and ignored the fact that the terrorists' primary target was a building used by the Indian medical mission.
Earlier this week in Washington Mr. Holbrooke caused a furore when he said, “I don’t accept the fact that this was an attack on an Indian facility like the embassy. There were foreigners, non-Indian foreigners hurt. It was a soft target. And let’s not jump to conclusions”. He further said, “Let’s not draw a conclusion for which there’s no proof”.
Yesterday however he withdrew his statements saying, “We all know that Indian citizens have and continue to be targeted by terrorists, including inside Afghanistan. My heart goes out to the families of all of the victims”. Mr. Holbrooke added that both the Afghan people and international community deeply appreciated the substantial humanitarian and reconstruction assistance that India was providing to Afghanistan.
The willingness of India to take risks and make sacrifices to help Afghanistan was a vital part of the international commitment to Afghanistan's future, Mr. Holbrooke clarified.
Labels: Holbrooke, Kabul attack, violence
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