Brussels, 15/10/2010 (Agence Europe) - The group “Friends of Democratic Pakistan” (FODP) expressed solidarity in Brussels on Friday with Pakistan after the devastating floods in August, but called on the Pakistani government to implement economic, political and institutional reforms to ensure stability and prosperity in the country, which is key to peace in the entire region. “The international community is committed to helping Pakistan to build a stable, prosperous and democratic society”, commented Catherine Ashton, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs, after the third ministerial meeting of the FODP since it was set up in 2008. “Pakistan can count on the full support of its friends”, she added, pointing out that further reforms were needed and the “Pakistani government knows that reforms are necessary”.
Mobilising resources at home - A joint press release published on Friday by all the “friends” points out the need for Islamabad to introduce further reforms in its economic stability programme, “including widening the tax basis” to increase the amount of funding available domestically to rebuild the country and its economy. At a press conference, the Pakistani foreign minister, Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi, admitted that “the tax base is not broad enough and some areas have not been contributing” to measures to develop and rebuild the country. He said the situation would have to be “corrected” because otherwise it would not provide possible to pay for the development of Pakistan in the long-term.
Counter-terror - FODP is well aware of the country's importance in the counter-terror struggle and the stabilisation of the entire region, including Afghanistan, pointing out in the joint press release that “the success of Pakistan's experience in developing a strong democratic system, the welfare and well-being of its people, combatting extremism and terrorism and Pakistan's economic prosperity and stability were critical for regional and global peace and stability”. Pakistan is prepared to play its part in facilitating contact in the future or talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban but any such imitative and any request for such aid would have to come from the Afghan government, explained Qureshi. He welcomed the EU's plans to unilaterally lift customs duties on Pakistani exports to the EU by removing duty on 75 different tariff areas covering 27% of Pakistan's exports to the EU. These measures are greatly appreciated in Pakistan and will help the textile industry in particular, which makes up 60% of Pakistan's exports, added Qureshi.
Some 20 countries in total were represented at the meeting, including the United States, China, Japan, Turkey, Australia, South Korea, Saudi Arabia and eight EU member states - Germany, France, Italy, the United Kingdom, Spain, Sweden, Denmark and the Netherlands. Even Iran was present in the form of Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki. Representatives of four international organisations - the United Nations, World Bank, Asian Development Bank and Islamic Development Bank - also attended the meeting.
Richard Holbrooke “encouraged” by Pakistan's desire to reform the government - US emissary to Pakistan and Afghanistan, Richard Holbrooke, repeated on Friday the joint request issued the day before in Brussels by Hillary Clinton and Catherine Ashton (see yesterday's EUROPE) that Pakistan should contribute its “fair share” to aiding the recent flood victims. Holbrooke said at a press conference on Friday that the Pakistan government had understood the message and said “we are encouraged” by what the Pakistani foreign ministers had said that morning. Holbrooke said the United States and Europe were under “tremendous budgetary pressure” and “cannot do everything”. He also hailed the trade liberalisation measures taken by the EU to help ensure better access to the EU market for Pakistani products. “This is a very difficult issue for us Americans. The executive branch in Washington deeply believes we should do the same thing, but unfortunately draft legislation to this effect has been blocked at Congress and the Senate”, he explained.
US does not think that cancelling Pakistan's debt would be a good idea - Charities like Oxfam are calling for the international community to cancel Pakistan's enormous foreign debt in order to leave the country room for manoeuvre to rebuild, but the idea is not supported by the United States, explained Richard Holbrooke. “We have discussed that a lot in the past with the IMF and others and the judgement so far has been that there are more effective ways to help Pakistan. We examined it very carefully and we and the Pakistanis came to the conclusion that it wasn't the best way to help because the debt was manageable”, he explained. (H.B./transl.fl)