07 January 2002

U.S. Believes Pakistan Will Dismantle Terror Groups

Noting reports of firing along the line of control (LOC) in Kashmir, State Department Richard Boucher said January 7 that is vital for India and Pakistan to exercise restraint and reduce violence to avoid confrontation.

Boucher said the U.S. believes that Pakistani President Musharraf is committetd to dismantling militant groups, which Boucher noted, threaten Pakistan as well as its neighbors.

"We note that there have been more arrests over the weekend, for example, and that we understand that President Musharraf intends to continue to speak out against extremism and terrorism and to try to set Pakistan on a course of moderation," he told reporters at the regular briefing January 7.

Boucher praised the efforts of other South Asian nations, as well as Britain's Prime Minister Tony Blair who visited India and Pakistan last week, to reduce tension and focus attention on the treat of terrorism.

Question: New subject? India, Pakistan. Some comments out of the Indian government today saying that Pakistan has not taken credible steps, credible counter-terrorism steps and that there's no chance for dialogue until they show that they're serious about this. The U.S., on the other hand, has commended President Musharraf for some of these steps. Do we disagree that there have been credible steps? Do we disagree with India?

Mr. Boucher: I don't know what the Indian criteria are. I would say that, first of all, we do believe that President Musharraf, the government of Pakistan is continuing to take steps against militant groups over the weekend. We believe that President Musharraf has committed to dismantling these groups, which threatened Pakistan as well as its neighbors.

We note that there have been more arrests over the weekend, for example, and that we understand that President Musharraf intends to continue to speak out against extremism and terrorism and to try to set Pakistan on a course of moderation.

We are concerned about firing along the line of control in Kashmir. We've seen conflicting claims about this drone aircraft being shot down, but I don't have anything to offer on that matter. We do think it's vital for both sides in Kashmir to exercise restraint and reduce violence, and we encourage leaders of India and Pakistan to continue to avoid any outbreak of conflict.

The summit in Katmandu over the weekend did provide an opportunity for Indian and Pakistani foreign ministers to have some discussions. While no breakthroughs were made, we're pleased that they took the opportunity to get together and meet and talk. We continue to urge a resumption of dialogue in order to reduce tensions and promote cooperation between India and Pakistan against terrorism. We note that all of the countries attending the summit signed a declaration condemning terrorism.

Finally, I guess I'd note that Prime Minister Blair has been in the region. He's been encouraging a reduction of terrorism, reduction of tension in his meetings with Prime Minister Vajpayee and President Musharraf, and obviously, we fully support those efforts.

Question: Are you concerned, then, that India seems to be making less of Musharraf's moves than the United States is?

Mr. Boucher: I don't know that I could try to characterize the Indian reaction one way or the other. We think it's important that both parties continue to keep the focus on fighting terrorism, and we do note that President Musharraf's been taking steps in that regard. I'll leave it to the Indians to characterize how they see it, but I think it's clear to us that President Musharraf's been moving forward and intends to continue to move forward against militants.

Question: Anything new on an emissary from Washington to --

Mr. Boucher: Again, I dispute the use the word "emissary" or "envoy."

Question: I was trying to avoid --

Mr. Boucher: You were trying to avoid "envoy," but "emissary" is equivalent. Let's just call it a visit to the region by a senior U.S. official. It is still a matter under consideration. It remains a possibility. We do want to continue to find ways to urge a reduction of tensions and improve cooperation against terrorism. At this point there are no final decisions.