US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton noted Pakistan’s “legitimate interests” in Afghanistan on Wednesday, but said Washington expected Islamabad to press insurgents to join the reconciliation process in the country. At the same time, Pakistan must prevent its territory from being used for attacks that destabilised Afghanistan or India, and deny al Qaeda “the space to regroup and plan new violence”, said Clinton.
“We all need to be on the same page for this to work,” she said. “Whether we live in Kabul or Islamabad, New Delhi or Washington,” she added. Clinton sought to soothe India’s concerns over a US troop drawdown from Afghanistan, stressing Washington’s commitment to the war-torn country. The United States has announced plans to withdraw from Afghanistan 33,000 surge troops by the end of September 2012, with 10,000 due to depart this year.
The first batch of troops left earlier this month.
DRAWING DOWN, NOT DISENGAGING: “Let me be clear… drawing down is not the same as disengaging,” Clinton said in a speech in the southern Indian port city of Chennai. “We will continue targeting terrorists and supporting the Afghan army and police… and we will continue our efforts to help the Afghan people rebuild after three decades of war,” Clinton said.
Following talks with Clinton in New Delhi on Tuesday, Indian Foreign Minister SM Krishna underlined the importance of countries with a major presence in Afghanistan, especially the US, continuing their work there. “It is necessary for the US to factor in Afghanistan’s ground realities so that… Afghanistan will be in a position to defend itself against terrorism sponsored by the Taliban,” Krishna said. Clinton urged India to be more assertive in Asia, reflecting a US desire for New Delhi to emerge as a counter-weight to Chinese power. Clinton argued that India needed to play a bolder leadership role in building security and prosperity in the region.
“India’s leadership has the potential to positively shape the future of the Asia-Pacific… and we encourage you not just to look east, but continue to engage and act east as well,” she said in Chennai. She made only one explicit mention of China in the speech, saying that she was “committed to a strong, constructive relationship” between Washington, New Delhi and Beijing. But alongside the praise and advocacy for India, Clinton returned to the issue of New Delhi’s stance on human rights abuses in Asia, which was also highlighted by US President Barack Obama in his visit to the country last year.