13 January 2011
Biden, Pakistani Prime Minister Hold Talks on Partnership
Washington — Vice President Biden says he held “extremely useful” discussions in Islamabad with Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani on “combating terror, issues of regional stability and promoting reconciliation and peace in Afghanistan.”
The two held a joint news conference in Islamabad after meeting January 12. Biden expressed “deepest condolences” over the assassination of Punjab Provincial Governor Salman Taseer on January 4, saying “there is no justification, none, for such senseless acts.”
“As we’ve seen throughout history, societies that tolerate such actions end up being consumed by those actions,” he said.
Biden and Gilani spoke of the “enduring partnership” between the United States and Pakistan, one that Biden said is “based on our common interests and our mutual respect for one another.” He added the U.S. remains committed to partnering with Pakistan to counter violent extremists “who violate Pakistan’s sovereignty and corrupt its good name.” He emphasized the shared U.S.-Pakistan belief that “violent extremists are a threat not just to the United States, but to Pakistan as well, and indeed to the entire civilized world,” and said the two countries stood united to combat “extreme ideologies.”
Biden reiterated America’s respect for religious diversity and freedom of religion, and he spoke about the deep tradition of Islam in the United States, challenging those who question the U.S. commitment to religious freedom to “name any other country in the world, any country in the world, where those of all faiths enjoy greater freedom of worship than they do in the United States of America.”
He added, “We are not the enemies of Islam, and we embrace those who practice that great religion in our country.”
Gilani and Biden commended the U.S.-Pakistan Strategic Dialogue, which Biden said will benefit the people of Pakistan in areas such as energy, agriculture and communications.
“This means that you will soon see more dams providing more electricity and irrigation; crop yields that are higher; more hospitals providing services to the people of Pakistan, among other tangible benefits,” he said.
As another example of the sustained U.S.-Pakistan partnership, the vice president noted the United States has established the largest Fulbright program in the world in Pakistan, calling it “a long-term investment in the dynamism” of young Pakistanis.
Additionally, he said the two countries have partnered recently through increased security cooperation and combined efforts to recover from Pakistan’s devastating floods in July 2010. The United States has committed nearly $600 million to flood recovery efforts and announced a new $190 million contribution for flood-affected families January 6. The new commitment is funded through the Kerry-Lugar-Berman legislation with which the U.S. Congress authorized $7.5 billion in assistance projects for Pakistan.
Biden said a close partnership with Pakistan is vital to U.S. interests, and called on leaders of both countries to build on progress made in 2010 by rededicating to “what still must be achieved together.”
“We want what you want: a strong, stable, prosperous, democratic Pakistan at peace with itself and with its neighbors, including India. We want that not just for your sake, but we wish your success because it’s in our own interest. It’s in the interest of the entire region, and I would argue the entire world,” Biden said.
(This is a product of the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://www.america.gov)
