Pakistan snubs Bonn moot as Afghanistan pleads

The federal cabinet on Tuesday unanimously decided to pull out of the Bonn Conference, an international moot on Afghanistan’s future scheduled to be held in Germany on December 5, in protest against the NATO air strike in Mohmand Agency that killed 24 Pakistani soldiers, throwing into question the future of Pakistan-US relations.
Afghanistan, Germany and the US reacted with disappointment to news of the boycott, but indicated they hoped Islamabad could yet be persuaded to attend the moot. The cabinet met here at Punjab Governor’s House setting aside the usual agenda and discussed the post-attack situation, agreeing that unilateral actions such as the Abbottabad raid and Saturday’s attack on Pakistani checkposts in Mohmand were “not acceptable”.
CABINET: The cabinet maintained that such incidents would not be tolerated and the NATO attack was an attack on Pakistan’s security and sovereignty. The cabinet also extended its deepest condolences to the families of the slain soldiers and offered fateha.
The decision to boycott the Bonn Conference, called to deliberate upon a regional security framework in the wake of America’s exit from the region, is the third important step taken by the federal government after the NATO strikes to make its point. Pakistan has already cut off NATO supplies to Afghanistan going through Pakistan and has ordered the UAE government to return the Shamsi airbase, being used by the US, to Pakistan. During the emergency meeting of the cabinet, Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar briefed the participants about the details of the NATO attack. She told the cabinet about the ongoing diplomatic efforts to highlight the violation of Pakistan’s territorial sovereignty and international law. Khar also told the cabinet about her discussions with her Chinese, Russian and American counterparts about the incident and Pakistan’s reaction.
The cabinet stated that Pakistan supported peace and stability in Afghanistan and looked forward to the success of the Bonn Conference, but in view of recent developments and prevailing circumstances it had decided not to participate. Prime Minister Gilani told his cabinet about the decisions of the Defence Committee of the Cabinet (DCC). He said there could be no compromise on Pakistan’s sovereignty and territorial integrity nor on the nation’s resolve to safeguard its frontiers at all costs. “Life is definitely precious to everyone, but we want to live with honour,” Gilani said. “We will not compromise on issues of national significance; instead, we will take a stand on them.
We request our nation to stand by us,” the premier added.
JOINT SESSION: He also announced a joint session of parliament for December 10 on the recommendation of the Parliamentary Committee on National Security to develop a future strategy on the NATO attack and to discuss the memogate controversy. The premier told the cabinet that the matter had been referred to the Parliamentary Committee on National Security and its recommendations would be submitted before the joint sitting of parliament. The cabinet called upon the international community to take cognizance of such attacks, which constitute a violation of the UN Charter principles, international law and could have serious repercussions for regional peace and security.
Meanwhile, Afghanistan and Germany sought to calm Pakistan’s anger and convince it to reverse its decision and participate in the conference. Afghan President Hamid Karzai made a phone call to Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani and expressed condolences for the lives lost in the NATO attack, as German Chancellor Angela Merkel said she was “very sorry” about Pakistan’s announced boycott next week’s conference and would try to convince it to attend.
KARZAI CALLS GILANI: Karzai expressed concern at media reports that Pakistan would boycott the Bonn Conference and requested Gilani to reconsider the decision as the conference was being convened for peace and stability in Afghanistan. He said Pakistan’s absence from the Bonn moot would not be helpful to the efforts aimed at bringing about peace in Afghanistan. But Gilani expressed his deepest regrets at NATO’s use of Afghan soil to attack Pakistani forces in Mohmand Agency. The prime minister said the breach of Pakistan’s sovereignty and the killing of army personnel had enraged the people of Pakistan. He questioned how a country whose own sovereignty and territorial integrity was violated could play a constructive role in a peace dialogue. He said the recurrence of such incidents would definitely narrow down political space for the government to maneuver.
MERKEL: German Chancellor Angela Merkel said she was “very sorry” about Pakistan’s announced boycott of next week’s conference and would try to convince it to attend. Merkel said Germany would “see what could be done to change” Islamabad’s decision to stay away from the meeting. “We are both interested in constructive development of Afghanistan, which is why I consider the conference hosted by the (German) foreign minister to be very important. We always said that conflicts can only be resolved in the region and Pakistan is part of this region, which is why we are very sorry that this cancellation came today,” Merkel, who will open the Bonn conference, told reporters at a joint press conference with visiting King Abdullah II of Jordan. Merkel said that Berlin had not given up on convincing Islamabad to attend the meeting. “I understand Pakistan’s concern about the loss of human life due to NATO troops but this should not distract from the fact that this Afghanistan conference is a very, very important conference,” she said.
US STATE DEPARTMENT: The US also hoped Pakistan would attend the international conference in Bonn. “We hope that they do in fact attend this conference because this is a conference that is about Afghanistan and building a more stable and prosperous and peaceful Afghanistan. And so that is very much in the interests of Pakistan,” said US State Department Spokesman Mark Toner. “This is a relationship that’s weathered difficult times and has yielded success in our shared battle against terrorists and extremists. We are clear-eyed about where we are at in the relationship. I think we are committed to working through it,” he added.