US opposes new Pakistani Government opening talks with terrorists

by Daya Gamage in Washington

United States Deputy Secretary of State John D. Negroponte, Bush Administration's second highest diplomat, expressed to the new Pakistani government that just came aboard, the U.S. displeasure of its expressed policy to establish a dialogue with terrorists operating on Pakistani soil.

Negroponte made this U.S. opposition to talks with terrorists when he addressed a press conference speaking to reporters in Karachi at the end of his three-day visit to Pakistan Thursday, March 27.

He was accompanied by Richard Boucher, Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia.

While Pakistan is unlikely to entertain the possibility of talks with foreign militants linked to al-Qaeda, the government could be willing to negotiate with pro-Taliban fighters mounting attacks on Pakistani security forces and suspected of attacks in Afghanistan.

Despite Negroponte's opposition to Pakistan's desire to talk to terrorists, Boucher in his three visits to another South Asian nation, Sri Lanka, which faces a ruthless terrorism from Tamil Tigers or LTTE, advocated that the President Rajapaksa's government should establish a dialogue with terrorist Tamil Tigers designated a 'Foreign Terrorist Organisation' under US federal laws to have a political settlement.

Boucher at one state went further declaring that the ethnic minority Tamils in Sri Lanka are entitled to a 'homeland' in the country's north and eastern region, the main demand of Tamil Tigers who call it an 'independent Eelam nation' or separate independent state.

Partners in the new Pakistani government have suggested dialogue with pro-Taliban groups that are blamed for the country's escalating violence - an approach that has drawn criticism from Washington, which has provided about $10 billion in aid to Pakistan since 2001.

Deputy Secretary Negroponte made his opposition to talking with terrorists at the Thursday Karachi press briefing in this manner: "Security measures obviously are necessary when one is talking about dealing with irreconcilable elements who want to destroy our very way of life.

I do not see how you can talk with those kinds of people," Negroponte said. "On the other hand, there are reconcilable elements in any of these situations who hopefully can be persuaded to participate in the democratic political process."

Despite Negroponte avoided describing who "irreconcilable elements" but it was obvious that he was referring to Pakistani terrorists who he says "I do not see how you can talk with those kind of people".

Sri Lanka's equivalent to "reconcilable elements", a term used by Negroponte in his Karachi press briefing, are the EPDP, EPRLF, TMVP etc, ethnic Tamil political movements, who have joined the democratic mainstream putting their armed struggle aside.

U.S. Deputy Secretary of State John D. Negroponte made it clear on Thursday that his government did not share the optimism of the new rulers of Pakistan that the extremist threat facing the country could be resolved through talks with pro-Taliban militants.

Negroponte, accompanied by Assistant Secretary of State Richard Boucher, arrived in Pakistan on Tuesday.

The two have already held talks with Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gillani, Pakistan People Party leader Asif Ali Zardari and Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) leader Nawaz Sharif besides President Pervez Musharraf and a host of officials in the Foreign Ministry and the North-West Frontier Province.

The PML (N) leader said he had told Mr. Negroponte that Pakistan's policies vis-…-vis the U.S.-led war on terror would be reviewed by Parliament, and that policy would henceforth be made in consultation with all parties in the National Assembly.

In the February 18 parliamentary general elections, President Musharaff's opponents won a clear majority in the legislature complicating Washington's blind support to the president.

Asian Tribune