Zardari asks US to give Pakistan drone technology

Expresses reservations over new US screening procedures; urges early repayment of arrears of CSF

ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari on Thursday once again raised the issue of the continued drone attacks with the United States while urging that it undermined the national consensus on the war against militancy and reiterated Pakistan's call for transfer of drone technology to it for use by its own security forces against the militants for wider public acceptability.




The president was talking to US National Security Advisor General James Jones, who called on him at the Presidency. The meeting was also attended by Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Finance Minister Shaukat Tarin, Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani and Ambassador to the US Husain Haqqani.




Spokesperson to President Farhatullah Babar said security situation in the region, drone attacks, the fight against militancy, rehabilitation of the internally displaced persons, strengthening of the law enforcing agencies, the Coalition Support Fund's arrears, the new US screening procedures and Pakistan's energy needs were discussed in the meeting.




Referring to the new Afghan strategy, Zardari said Pakistan had legitimate interests in promoting peace and stability in Afghanistan. The president also expressed reservations over the new screening regime for the Pakistani nationals and called for its review as it had created resentment in the country and led to doubts and misgivings among the people of Pakistan.




He said that Pakistan welcomed US declarations of support to Pakistan's security and stability and economic development and emphasised that the continued support must be based on mutual respect and trust.




Tracing the history of militancy in the region, the president said that decades ago, the international community chose to fight the rival ideology using the region as the battleground. "After defeating the rival ideology, the international community abandoned the region and the militants it had nurtured, resulting in a new wave of militancy in the region," the president remarked.




"The international community now owes it to Pakistan and to itself to help rebuild the country economically and socially," he said. The president reiterated the call for allowing greater market access to Pakistani goods in the US and European markets and the need for adoption of legislation in the US on the Reconstruction Opportunity Zones (RoZs).




The president said that Pakistan had suffered a huge loss of over $35 billion during the last eight years as a result of the fight against militancy in addition to the colossal and unquantifiable cost in terms of social and human losses, which had almost crippled the nation's economy.




The president also pointed out the delays in payments of arrears of the Coalition Support Fund (CSF) of over $1.5 billion and called for early repayments of outstanding dues. The US national security advisor appreciated Pakistan's role in the war against extremism and militancy and assured continued strategic political and economic support to Pakistan to win this war. General Jones was accompanied by the US Ambassador Anne W Patterson and other US officials.