The US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has conceded that the United States was also responsible for allowing Al Qaeda to enter Pakistan.
She said that Al Qaeda left Afghanistan. And we let them out, she told Greta Van Susteren of FOX News. You know, we should have taken them out when we had the chance back in 2001 and 2002 and they escaped. And they escaped into Pakistan.
Asked if the US was also responsible for Al Qaeda’s presence in Fata, Secretary Clinton acknowledged that if the US had done a better job in Afghanistan, Al Qaeda would not have slipped into Pakistan.
If we had done a better job going into Afghanistan and capture the people who had attacked us or killed them you know, we would be in a different position,’ she said.
Asked about the extent to which the developing US military strategy in Afghanistan bleeds into Pakistan, Mrs Clinton said: Absolutely. I mean when we first did our review upon taking office, we concluded that you had to look at Afghanistan and Pakistan together and in light of the war on terror that we had to wage.
To win the war against terrorists, she said, the US needed to build strong partnerships with both Afghanistan and Pakistan.
The stronger partnership we have with Pakistan, the stronger their efforts to root out terrorists in their own country, the better the situation is across the border in Afghanistan.
The top US diplomat said she was impressed with the way the Pakistani military was confronting militants in South Waziristan.
We’re very impressed by the campaign against the Pakistan Taliban in (the Swat valley) and South Waziristan. But our point to our friends in Pakistan is that — that is an important and necessary step for you to take, but remember that there is a terrorist syndicate with Al Qaeda at the head.
She warned: You can’t just say your job is done because you’ve cleared out (Swat), you’ve cleared out South Waziristan, until we truly root out what is in my view the source of the syndicate and a lot of the problems that Pakistan, Afghanistan and the rest of us face.
Asked to comment on her statement in Lahore in which she blamed Pakistan for not doing enough to fight Al Qaeda, Mrs Clinton said it was part of her effort to build a better relationship with the country.
They said to me very clearly: Look, we have a trust deficit for you. And I said, well, look, that’s a two-way street. And I’m happy to take any of your questions. I’m happy to admit where we may not have always done as well as we could have in our relationship.
But a lot of people back home want to know, you know, how come Al Qaeda has a safe haven in Pakistan? How come we arrest somebody like Zazi and find out that he was trained in a training camp run by Al Qaeda in Pakistan?
She added: I think that’s the kind of relationship we need to have.
The United States, she said, was trying to rebuild a better relationship, removing this deep level of mistrust and suspicion about America’s intentions and actions that has built up over the last eight years.
Mrs Clinton said she came to Pakistan with the determination not to meet government officials alone but get to out into different settings, universities and business groups, and really listen to people.
Mrs Clinton said that while she acknowledges that the US should have done a better job in preventing Al Qaeda from entering Pakistan, Islamabad should also accept its responsibility.
There are home-grown terrorists here in Pakistan. They’ve made common cause with Al Qaeda. So we can look backwards through the rearview mirror and say we shoulda, coulda, woulda, and you shoulda, coulda, woulda, too, she said.
The other way of approaching this problem, she said, was to admit that both countries had a common enemy.
And we’re proud that you’re going to after the Pakistan Taliban, who are causing so much damage and destruction, that terrible bombing in Peshawar the other day. But that’s not enough. You have to help us get Al Qaeda. You will be more secure if you help us get the people who are helping to fund and train and equip the very people you’re going after in South Waziristan right now.
Mrs Clinton said she had lot of discussions with the Pakistanis over the Kerry-Lugar bill during his visit.
This really became a very big issue here in Pakistan, and I don’t think most of us in America really understood what the beef is.
She said that Al Qaeda left Afghanistan. And we let them out, she told Greta Van Susteren of FOX News. You know, we should have taken them out when we had the chance back in 2001 and 2002 and they escaped. And they escaped into Pakistan.
Asked if the US was also responsible for Al Qaeda’s presence in Fata, Secretary Clinton acknowledged that if the US had done a better job in Afghanistan, Al Qaeda would not have slipped into Pakistan.
If we had done a better job going into Afghanistan and capture the people who had attacked us or killed them you know, we would be in a different position,’ she said.
Asked about the extent to which the developing US military strategy in Afghanistan bleeds into Pakistan, Mrs Clinton said: Absolutely. I mean when we first did our review upon taking office, we concluded that you had to look at Afghanistan and Pakistan together and in light of the war on terror that we had to wage.
To win the war against terrorists, she said, the US needed to build strong partnerships with both Afghanistan and Pakistan.
The stronger partnership we have with Pakistan, the stronger their efforts to root out terrorists in their own country, the better the situation is across the border in Afghanistan.
The top US diplomat said she was impressed with the way the Pakistani military was confronting militants in South Waziristan.
We’re very impressed by the campaign against the Pakistan Taliban in (the Swat valley) and South Waziristan. But our point to our friends in Pakistan is that — that is an important and necessary step for you to take, but remember that there is a terrorist syndicate with Al Qaeda at the head.
She warned: You can’t just say your job is done because you’ve cleared out (Swat), you’ve cleared out South Waziristan, until we truly root out what is in my view the source of the syndicate and a lot of the problems that Pakistan, Afghanistan and the rest of us face.
Asked to comment on her statement in Lahore in which she blamed Pakistan for not doing enough to fight Al Qaeda, Mrs Clinton said it was part of her effort to build a better relationship with the country.
They said to me very clearly: Look, we have a trust deficit for you. And I said, well, look, that’s a two-way street. And I’m happy to take any of your questions. I’m happy to admit where we may not have always done as well as we could have in our relationship.
But a lot of people back home want to know, you know, how come Al Qaeda has a safe haven in Pakistan? How come we arrest somebody like Zazi and find out that he was trained in a training camp run by Al Qaeda in Pakistan?
She added: I think that’s the kind of relationship we need to have.
The United States, she said, was trying to rebuild a better relationship, removing this deep level of mistrust and suspicion about America’s intentions and actions that has built up over the last eight years.
Mrs Clinton said she came to Pakistan with the determination not to meet government officials alone but get to out into different settings, universities and business groups, and really listen to people.
Mrs Clinton said that while she acknowledges that the US should have done a better job in preventing Al Qaeda from entering Pakistan, Islamabad should also accept its responsibility.
There are home-grown terrorists here in Pakistan. They’ve made common cause with Al Qaeda. So we can look backwards through the rearview mirror and say we shoulda, coulda, woulda, and you shoulda, coulda, woulda, too, she said.
The other way of approaching this problem, she said, was to admit that both countries had a common enemy.
And we’re proud that you’re going to after the Pakistan Taliban, who are causing so much damage and destruction, that terrible bombing in Peshawar the other day. But that’s not enough. You have to help us get Al Qaeda. You will be more secure if you help us get the people who are helping to fund and train and equip the very people you’re going after in South Waziristan right now.
Mrs Clinton said she had lot of discussions with the Pakistanis over the Kerry-Lugar bill during his visit.
This really became a very big issue here in Pakistan, and I don’t think most of us in America really understood what the beef is.
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