Interview With Maya Mirchandani of NDTV 24X7

QUESTION: Sir, let's start by asking you: SAARC for the first time has opened its doors to international observers. What does the U.S. make of this?

ASSISTANT SECRETARY BOUCHER: Well, I think, first of all, it is a good development. It shows the interaction of the region with the rest of the world in trade terms, policy terms, political terms, and it's a chance for us to be here and be part of what we think is a very important development -- and that's regional cooperation, regional free trade.

QUESTION: This region houses about a fifth of the world's population. It's got some of the least developed countries in the world and it's one of the most volatile regions, as the U.S. knows very well. Given these factors, what do you think? What kind of a role can the U.S. play in this sort of a forum?

ASSISTANT SECRETARY BOUCHER: Well, I think we need to look for ways of working regionally with countries the way we work with them individually. We have very strong programs with all these countries in fighting terrorism, in education, economic reform, poverty alleviation, health, all these different areas. And we work throughout the region with everyone. But what SAARC offers is a chance to really work with them as a group and the things that they are doing as a group. We have been involved already with their free trade discussions, trying to help them with expertise, and we'll look for other areas like that -- like trade and education -- where we can work on a regional basis.

QUESTION: How much of an imperative is the economic one -- trade, the markets, the potential for manufactured products from other countries coming into these markets -- and how much of an imperative is actually the security situation in the region for the U.S. in the observer….

ASSISTANT SECRETARY BOUCHER: It's all, it's all imperative. There is enormous potential if we can overcome some of these problems -- problems of security, problems of trade, problems of democracy. If you look at the World Bank numbers on intra-regional trade, this region really doesn't trade with itself and there is enormous potential there for the free trade agreement if that can be made to work. And so, I think there is an economic benefit for people in the region. There is also a strategic benefit, too -- closer ties through trade, through political interactions, through meetings like SAARC.

QUESTION: There's always been a criticism made of this grouping that the agenda of SAARC has been hijacked by the India-Pakistan bilateral dispute. Yesterday, with Afghanistan's entry there is another bilateral dispute that's coming into the grouping -- the Afghan-Pak situation. Do you think there is really any future for this kind of grouping when they've really been able to move very little in the last 22 years?

ASSISTANT SECRETARY BOUCHER: I think SAARC has proven itself very useful in the last 22 years. At times it was the only way that India and Pakistan could really meet each other. It's contributed at least the opportunity for Indian and Pakistani leaders to meet in the past. Now the things between India and Pakistan are going on pretty well and they've developed a certain momentum. But, I think everybody finds it sometimes easier to solve some issues in a regional context and even though others still have to be dealt with bilaterally.

QUESTION: What do you think is going to happen as far as these bilateral disputes are concerned? Do you think SAARC could be a forum to resolve them because they never allowed them to be a forum for resolution?

ASSISTANT SECRETARY BOUCHER: Yes, to some extent it can. But I agree with you that the history is, mostly it was a location where people could meet on a bilateral basis. There are other locations and, as I said, the India- Pakistan dialogue seems to be going pretty well, developed a certain momentum, but I think the regional grouping always has a contributing role. It at least says to everybody we need to try to work together.

QUESTION: The U.S. chose not to have ministerial representation at this summit, the other -- China, Japan, Korea, South Korea particularly, they had their foreign ministers who gave speeches, who talked about what their expectations from this grouping was. Why did the U.S. decide not to do that?

ASSISTANT SECRETARY BOUCHER: Well, I think generally Secretary Rice, the U.S. Secretary of State, doesn't go as an observer. She has a more active role when she goes to things and this group…observers have [inaudible]. I am here. I am trying to play a very active role on the sidelines and as I said we support SAARC and I think people know that and we know we are part of the progress where the people within the organization [inaudible].

QUESTION: You have also had a few bilateral one-on-one meetings with some of the visiting leaders. Can you tell us a little bit about those meetings?

ASSISTANT SECRETARY BOUCHER: I have had, I think, useful discussions so far with a number of leaders. I met some of the other observers to talk about what the role of the observers can be and how we can cooperate with Japan, for example, and in projects with SAARC. I have met leaders of Nepal and Sri Lanka. I have some more meetings today with other leaders. And I think it's just a good opportunity, in some ways it's a...it makes it easier than traveling around the region for two weeks. I can go to one place, Delhi, and see a whole lot of my friends, a whole lot of people we need to work with all in one place.

QUESTION: How does the U.S. react to SAARC's decision to include Iran as an observer from the next session onwards?

ASSISTANT SECRETARY BOUCHER: Well, we have to see how that plays out. I think, you know, Iran in some ways is a problem for this region, the development of nuclear weapons [inaudible] is going to be a terrible development for countries of this region. To the extent that they have interactions with Iran, whether it's bilaterally or in this kind of forum, I think they need to make that clear. But it's up to SAARC to decide who the observers are going to be.

QUESTION: When you say they need to make that clear, can you just elaborate a little bit?

ASSISTANT SECRETARY BOUCHER: Many countries in the region have already stated quite categorically they don't want to see Iran develop nuclear weapons.

QUESTION: But, as an observer do you think that would be something that SAARC could talk to Iran about?

ASSISTANT SECRETARY BOUCHER: I don't know if the organization would do it. I think more likely that people would do that in bilateral interactions.

QUESTION: Sir, one interesting development, at least to those of us in the region. About 10 days ago now, I imagine, was the LTTE air strike on a Colombo air base. Whenever we talk about terrorism one often talks, you know, sort of thinks, about Islamic terrorism, Islamic groups -- the Al Qaeda, Lashkar -- in this region, groups like that. There was no response, there was no reaction from the U.S. on the LTTE air strikes. I'd like to ask you for one. What was your reading of what happened in Sri Lanka last Monday?

ASSISTANT SECRETARY BOUCHER: Well, I think it's a disturbing development that the -- the Tamil Tigers are a terrorist group, we've labeled them as such. We've taken action against them, against their attempts to procure weapons in the United States. If you remember that case from last year, I think they were trying to buy bombs. Other countries, France just took some action, a judge in France issued some indictments on Tamil Tiger fundraising the other day. So, I think countries are serious about stopping the Tamil Tigers, as a terrorist group, from acquiring weapons, acquiring money to finance, etc. We're also very serious about the peace process in Sri Lanka and trying to get the two sides to negotiate, trying to get the Tamil Tigers to negotiate, and working with the government on its program to develop human rights and present proposals for peace talks.

QUESTION: Are you looking at playing a more active role like, say, the Norwegians have done in the past?

ASSISTANT SECRETARY BOUCHER: Well, we have been part of this group that the Norwegians head, the Co-chair process, and so we've been very active. I've had, I think, two or three discussions with the Co-chairs over the last couple of months and we are always working it, always looking for opportunities and we're always trying to move forward. But, the two sides have to be willing to sit down at the table. The Tamil Tigers have to accept a political solution and not to engage in terrorism. We had a horrible bombing attack on a civilian bus the other day.

QUESTION: Sir, on the Afghan-Pak front, have you met President Karzai and Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz?

ASSISTANT SECRETARY BOUCHER: I met with President Karzai and had a chance to talk a little bit with Shaukat Aziz here.

QUESTION: What's going on there?

ASSISTANT SECRETARY BOUCHER: Well, they have a variety of meetings with each other and they have areas of cooperation. I think they are both interested in cooperation. But what's really important for both sides is that they deal with the problems of terrorism: problems of terrorism in Pakistan, problems of terrorism in Afghanistan. For the United States, we work with Afghanistan, we work directly in Afghanistan against terrorism and we work with Pakistan and its effort against terrorism. I think both sides need to understand this -- they need to work with each other and they need to appreciate and recognize what the other side is doing because we are only going to get to the end of this by dealing with the problems on both sides of the border.

QUESTION: Do you think that in a multilateral forum like this there will be way to keep that dispute at bay, the Afghanistan...what's happening on the borders between Pakistan and Afghanistan?

ASSISTANT SECRETARY BOUCHER: I think there are areas of cooperation in SAARC that can prove fruitful for both sides. It's another avenue for them to find cooperation if they want it but there are also issues that they are going to have to work on more directly.

QUESTION: And on Pakistan's internal situation right now, President Musharraf's sacking of the chief justice a few weeks ago, the kind of protests one has been seeing images of, what do you have to say about what's going on in Pakistan right now?

ASSISTANT SECRETARY BOUCHER: Well, we are following this very closely. It's a very sensitive matter. We have expressed some concern. We've always said it really needs to be handled very, very carefully according to Pakistani judicial process and we will follow the developments as they proceed.

QUESTION: But the voices for Musharraf to step down have grown louder as a result of this recent action by the President. What does the U.S. feel about that?

ASSISTANT SECRETARY BOUCHER: Well, our view is that democracy is part of the program, part of the program President Musharraf has announced: to have elections -- open, free, fair elections -- this year and we very much support that. That's what we want to see happen.

QUESTION: Would you like to see him come back as President?

ASSISTANT SECRETARY BOUCHER: I won't decide. The Pakistani voters will decide who their President is going to be. We want to see an open, free and fair election.

QUESTION: Thank you very much.

ASSISTANT SECRETARY BOUCHER: Thank you.