The Hindu : International : U.S. envoy to Afghanistan warns Pakistan on sanctuaries

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Wednesday, Apr 07, 2004

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U.S. envoy to Afghanistan warns Pakistan on sanctuaries

By Sridhar Krishnaswami

WASHINGTON, APRIL 6. The American Ambassador to Afghanistan, Zalmay Khalilzad, has said that Pakistan must eliminate terrorist sanctuaries or the United States will step in and do its part. Otherwise, he said, it would be difficult to get rid of security problems in the southern and eastern parts of Afghanistan.

"We cannot allow this problem to fester indefinitely," Mr. Khalilzad is said to have told an audience at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). "We have told the Pakistani leadership that either they must solve this problem or we will have to do it for ourselves".

The envoy's remarks have to be seen in the context of the Bush administration heaping praise on the leadership of Gen. Pervez Musharraf for his efforts in stepping up the heat on the Pakistan-Afghanistan border and in tracking down terrorist elements holed up there, especially the Al-Qaeda. The U.S. and Pakistan are also actively looking for Osama bin Laden in the region.

Mr. Khalilzad has apparently made the point that Washington prefers Islamabad to take responsibility and that the Musharraf Government agrees to this. "We are prepared to help President (Pervez) Musharraf. However, one way or the other this problem will have to be dealt with," Mr. Khalilzad has said. Maintaining that Afghanistan is "succeeding," Mr. Khalilzad has said that consolidating the victory over extremism and terrorism would require a sustained commitment of at least five years on the part of the U.S. and its allies; and that one of the biggest worries was the Taliban and other hostile groups being able to base themselves, train and operate from Pakistan.

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