Embassy of the United States

Press Releases 2007

John D. Negroponte, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State

Deputy Secretary of State John D. Negroponte - Interview with Faiz Rehman, Voice of America, Washington, DC

Deputy Secretary of State John D. Negroponte

Interview
with Faiz Rehman, Voice of America
July 6, 2007
Washington, D.C.

QUESTION: Secretary Negroponte, thank you very much for your time, sir.

We’ll start with the obvious, what’s on everybody’s mind and what everybody’s been thinking in Pakistan about this Red Mosque. And, also there was an assassination attempt this morning on President Musharraf. What’s your comment on the situation in Pakistan?

DEPUTY SECRETARY NEGROPONTE: My comment is that I certainly hope that the situation with respect to the Red Mosque is resolved peacefully, and that everybody concerned behaves in a very responsible way. This is a very important time in Pakistan, both because of the war on terror and also because of the political evolution of that country, so it’s important that that situation be resolved calmly and peacefully.

As far as the reported attack on the President’s plane today, I’ve seen those reports. If they’re true, they’re certainly a reflection of the situation there, that there are dangers of this kind. I’m certainly gratified that the President is unharmed, and we await further information about the incident.

QUESTION: British Prime Minister Gordon Brown called and the Chinese also issued a statement. Has anybody called from the U.S. Government or said anything to President Musharraf on a personal level?

DEPUTY SECRETARY NEGROPONTE: I think we were still waiting for a bit more clarification as to exactly what happened. Of course it is very late at night, as you and I are speaking here, in Pakistan. But I have no doubt that we will be communicating with the President and the Pakistani government as, perhaps when day breaks tomorrow.

QUESTION: What’s happening with the Red Mosque? Would the U.S. support the same kinds of operations with other institutions, other allegedly extremist institutions in Pakistan?

DEPUTY SECRETARY NEGROPONTE: Well, let me say that this is a matter that I think the government and the authorities, including the security officials of the government of Pakistan must resolve. This is not something for us to say. So, we will respect whatever decisions are made by the Government of Pakistan. But we also reiterate the fact that we would hope that a matter such as this can be resolved in as peaceful a manner as possible.

QUESTION: When you were in Pakistan did this subject come up in any form or shape?

DEPUTY SECRETARY NEGROPONTE: The question of the Red Mosque? No, it didn’t as a matter of fact. We didn’t -- did not have the opportunity to discuss the situation of the mosque, although I know that is a situation that has been ongoing for quite some time now.

QUESTION: Political transition. We -- Pakistanis are going to have elections and there are lots of rumors inside and outside the country; and one is about Ms. Benazir Bhutto going back as, maybe in some important -- And there were rumors that you were there to guarantee some kind of deal between the government and Ms. Bhutto. Do you see her role as important in Pakistan’s return to a full-fledged democracy?

DEPUTY SECRETARY NEGROPONTE: First, let me say that the purpose of my visit was to show strong support as a representative of the United States for the government and people of Pakistan. That was my purpose. Pakistan is a very important country. We have an extremely important bilateral relationship with Pakistan. We are partners and allies in the war on terror, and we have many, many interests in common. As far as the political transition is concerned in Pakistan, we look forward to developments this fall. We know there’s going to be at least two very important political events, one being the election or reelection of a president, and the second the election of a parliament. So these are two very important aspects of Pakistan’s peaceful political evolution, if you will; and we certainly are supportive of that process and we think that the election process should be open and fair, and free and transparent.

QUESTION: There is no support for just one or two leaders in Pakistan?

DEPUTY SECRETARY NEGROPONTE: Well we have -- no, it’s not for us to prescribe political solutions for Pakistan. When I was there I did hear talk about the question of inclusiveness, of the desire on the part of many to see a political process that is as inclusive as possible, that includes as many moderate elements as possible. But the actual process of deciding these questions of whom to support, which particular candidates, those kinds of things, well that’s what political freedom is about, and that’s for the Pakistani people to decide.

QUESTION: Do you anticipate another round of talks between U.S. and Iran over the future of Iraq?

DEPUTY SECRETARY NEGROPONTE: I certainly wouldn’t be surprised if that were to happen. We’ve had one discussion with Iranian representatives in Baghdad at the level of ambassador. There are reasons to talk to the government of Iran, with respect to the security situation in Iraq. We think Iran is not playing a constructive role currently in Iraq. We think there are things they could do to help ameliorate the security situation. If another round of talks takes place, those are the kinds of issues we would expect to talk about.

QUESTION: What’s your best hope and worst fear for Pakistan?

DEPUTY SECRETARY NEGROPONTE: Well I, rather than dealing in hopes and fears, my business as a diplomat is of course to deal with the reality that we see before our eyes. I would say that again, I’d reiterate that Pakistan’s an important friend. We are allies in the war on terror. We want to be supportive of the political and economic evolution of Pakistan, and we want to support in every way we can. That includes not only contributing to the security of your country through various types of military and security relationships, but we also want to help the economic betterment of Pakistan. For example, in the federally administered tribal areas we have just made a decision to provide something on the order of $150 million a year to help develop the Fattah. We think this could be an important contribution to the development of Pakistan.

QUESTION: You made a comment about safe havens in Pakistan in January of this year. Do you still believe that’s true, that Pakistan should have some areas where tribes have safe havens for --

DEPUTY SECRETARY NEGROPONTE: What I would say is there is movement back and forth across the borders. That some of the Taliban who operate in Afghanistan sometimes take sanctuary in Pakistan. I think there’s a recognition and a mutual agreement between us and the Government of Pakistan that that kind of activity should not be allowed to happen. But we also recognize that these are difficult parts of the country, the terrain is difficult. But all the more reason for our two governments to cooperate together, and also together with the government of Afghanistan to try and bring that kind of situation under control so that we can bring, help bring the fighting to an end in Afghanistan.

QUESTION: What are the road blocks between -- in the deal between the U.S. and India on the nuclear energy, civil nuclear energy?

DEPUTY SECRETARY NEGROPONTE: We have to, as a consequence of the Framework Agreement that we reached last year with India, we now have to reach a specific agreement on civil nuclear cooperation. And that is something that is being worked on at this particular time. It has not yet been completed, although we are hopeful that it will be completed in the fairly near future.

QUESTION: If you’ll allow one question please, just one quick, quick question please, about Central Asia?

DEPUTY SECRETARY NEGROPONTE: Sure.

QUESTION: The U.S. seems to have, according to some analysts, a lack of a clear-cut strategy towards Central Asia. Is it true? And what is your comment on it?

DEPUTY SECRETARY NEGROPONTE: First of all, I would say it’s not true. We see Central Asia as a very important region of the world. These are countries that are newly independent from the former Soviet Union. They’re countries of great promise and great human and material resources. We think that in addition to simply having economies that are oriented principally towards their former mother country, if you will, towards Russia, that it’s important that they have options for their economic development, particularly to the south towards Afghanistan and Pakistan and India, because we think this would give them more choice with respect to such matters as the export of energy, whether it’s electrical energy or fossil fuel energy. So we have a great interest in the development of Central Asia, and we think it’s a region of the world that holds great promise for the future.

QUESTION: Secretary Negroponte, thank you very much for your time, sir.

DEPUTY SECRETARY NEGROPONTE: Thank you. I appreciate the opportunity.