Brussels, 14/10/2010 (Agence Europe) - The United States and the EU are putting pressure on the Pakistani government to assume its economic reform responsibilities to stabilise and rebuild the country after it was devastated by floods in August. The international community stands ready to help Pakistan deal with the immediate humanitarian needs and rebuild its economy, but public authorities and the Pakistani economic “elite” must also do their bit in this major effort which will require vast sums of money, said US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Catherine Ashton. “The international community can do a lot but Pakistan itself must take immediate and substantial action to mobilise its own resources and reform its economy,” Clinton said at a joint press briefing with Ashton. Pakistan's priorities should be to adopt “meaningful reforms” to its economy and, above all, to “expand its tax base”, Clinton said. “The government must require that the economically influential elite in Pakistan supports the government and the people of Pakistan. It is unacceptable for those with means in Pakistan not to make their contribution to help their own people while the taxpayers of Europe, the US and other contributing countries are all shipping in,” she went on. “They (the Pakistani government) can count on our support. But they must take the lead and we will be there at their side,” she added. She pointed out that, up until now, the United States had provided $388 million worth of financial aid and a further $75 million dollars in logistical aid, not to mention some 30 helicopters made available for evacuating the victims of the flooding.
Ashton highlighted the importance of a high level of cooperation between Europe and the US to help Pakistan deal with the current humanitarian crisis and also to prepare a long-term strategy for the reconstruction of the country, economic development, institution building and tackling terrorism and extremism. “A safe and secure Pakistan is manifestly in the interests of the EU, the US and the rest of the international community,” she said. This will also be the “key message” of the ministerial meeting of the Friends of Democratic Pakistan in Brussels on Friday 15 October (see EUROPE 10235), which will be attended by Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmoud Qreshi. Hillary Clinton will not be at the meeting on Friday: she will leave Brussels for Washington that same morning and will be represented by Richard Holbrooke.
Clinton, who took part in the NATO ministerial meeting on Thursday afternoon, also met permanent European Council President Herman Van Rompuy, the President of the European Parliament Jerzy Buzek and the leaders of the political groups in the Parliament. (H.B./transl.rt)