Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
07ISLAMABAD5102
2007-12-01 10:22:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Islamabad
Cable title:
CODEL BENNETT'S MEETING WITH BENAZIR BHUTTO
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C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ISLAMABAD 005102
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/01/2017
TAGS: PREL PGOV PK
SUBJECT: CODEL BENNETT'S MEETING WITH BENAZIR BHUTTO
Classified By: Anne W. Patterson, for reasons 1.4 (b)(d)
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ISLAMABAD 005102
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/01/2017
TAGS: PREL PGOV PK
SUBJECT: CODEL BENNETT'S MEETING WITH BENAZIR BHUTTO
Classified By: Anne W. Patterson, for reasons 1.4 (b)(d)
1. (C) Summary. With Codel Bennett November 30, Benazir Bhutto indicated she will participate in the January 8 general elections but asked for USG assistance in ensuring those elections are free and fair. Codel members expressed support for ensuring the integrity of elections but noted the larger issues were to participate in the elections, fight extremism and build institutional support for democracy and rule of law. End Summary.
2. (C) Ambassador, Senator Bob Corker (R-TN),Congressman David Dreier (R-CA),Congressman Darrell Issa (R-CA) and Congressman Joe Wilson R-SC met November 30 with Pakistan People's Party (PPP) leader Benazir Bhutto at her Islamabad home.
3. (C) Bhutto thanked the USG for its support of free, fair and transparent elections in Pakistan and provided her views on the current security situation. In the past, she said, the chief security concern was India, but this has shifted north to the Afghan border. Growing militancy in the Federally Administered Tribal Area (FATA) was seeping into settled areas like Parachinar, where Taliban forces have fueled Sunni-Shia sectarian violence. Bhutto said the people of the area called her for assistance, but when she contacted the police authorities, they said they were being attacked and could not help. The militants are exploiting the poverty of the area, and the only answer is democratization and education/employment programs. The same was true for poor families who had no other option but to send their children to madrassa schools.
4. (C) Bhutto said she was pleased that President Musharraf had announced a date for lifting the State of Emergency and restoring the constitution. But the current and former presidents of the Supreme Court Bar Association were still being detained, former Supreme Court judges were still under house arrest, and Geo TV was not yet back on cable in Pakistan. Bhutto still had great concerns that the elections would be rigged. She repeated her public demands that the caretaker government be reconstituted as a neutral group of officials and that the nizams (mayors) who distribute government jobs and benefits be suspended until after the elections. Bhutto expressed concern about “ghost†polling stations, the transfer of key electoral officials, reports of intimidation of PPP workers, and illegal distribution of early ballots. She had no faith in the Election Commission's ability to deter rigging.
5. (C) On the proposed boycott of opposition political parties, Bhutto said that he has spoken several times to Pakistan Muslim League-N leader Nawaz Sharif and had questioned the value of a boycott. “If we are making demands of the government, what exactly are those demands? We need a clear common agenda if we are to unite as an opposition.†The best path was to make the elections as free and fair as possible, and she called on the USG to assist in that process. Nawaz was focusing on restoration of the fired judges, but Bhutto said that the electoral process was more important. She was inclined to participate in elections to keep in touch base with her voter bank.
6. (C) Senator Corker expressed appreciation for Pakistan's efforts in fighting terrorism and promised to raise with President Musharraf our shared concern about the integrity of the elections.
7. (C) Congressman Dreier agreed that we wanted free and fair elections--he had seen some progress and would support a robust International Republican Institute (IRI) observer mission. But, the larger issues were to support the rule of law and the development of institutions that could fight extremism. That was the main reason the USG was engaged in Pakistan.
8. (C) Congressman Issa reiterated support for improving the electoral process but said that in reality there will be widespread voter fraud. The important point was to participate so that PPP would have an opportunity to form or be a part of an eventual coalition government. Issa said, admittedly, it is painful to the in the minority but it is not fatal.
9. (C) Congressman Wilson noted that he had participated in elections observation in Bulgaria and had learned the importance of adequate training of poll watchers. Bhutto agreed and thanked the USG for its support of programs implemented by IRI, the National Democratic Institute and others. She noted particularly how helpful IRI polling had been.
10. (C) On her relationship with President Musharraf, Bhutto noted there were two fault lines in Pakistan: dictatorship vs. democracy and moderation vs. extremism. She and Musharraf concurred on the latter but disagreed on the former. Senator Corker asked about the state of their relations now, and Bhutto described them as “stormy.†During 8-10 months of discussions, Musharraf had been easy to talk to, but when the talking was over, there were no results. Musharraf had reneged on promise after promise. In the end, Musharraf had not agreed to Bhutto's demand that the constitutional two-term limit be lifted immediately after elections, and had not agreed to change the constitutional clause that allowed the President to fire the Prime Minister. Bhutto felt that she was being set up for failure.
11. (C) Codel Bennett did not clear this message.
PATTERSON
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/01/2017
TAGS: PREL PGOV PK
SUBJECT: CODEL BENNETT'S MEETING WITH BENAZIR BHUTTO
Classified By: Anne W. Patterson, for reasons 1.4 (b)(d)
1. (C) Summary. With Codel Bennett November 30, Benazir Bhutto indicated she will participate in the January 8 general elections but asked for USG assistance in ensuring those elections are free and fair. Codel members expressed support for ensuring the integrity of elections but noted the larger issues were to participate in the elections, fight extremism and build institutional support for democracy and rule of law. End Summary.
2. (C) Ambassador, Senator Bob Corker (R-TN),Congressman David Dreier (R-CA),Congressman Darrell Issa (R-CA) and Congressman Joe Wilson R-SC met November 30 with Pakistan People's Party (PPP) leader Benazir Bhutto at her Islamabad home.
3. (C) Bhutto thanked the USG for its support of free, fair and transparent elections in Pakistan and provided her views on the current security situation. In the past, she said, the chief security concern was India, but this has shifted north to the Afghan border. Growing militancy in the Federally Administered Tribal Area (FATA) was seeping into settled areas like Parachinar, where Taliban forces have fueled Sunni-Shia sectarian violence. Bhutto said the people of the area called her for assistance, but when she contacted the police authorities, they said they were being attacked and could not help. The militants are exploiting the poverty of the area, and the only answer is democratization and education/employment programs. The same was true for poor families who had no other option but to send their children to madrassa schools.
4. (C) Bhutto said she was pleased that President Musharraf had announced a date for lifting the State of Emergency and restoring the constitution. But the current and former presidents of the Supreme Court Bar Association were still being detained, former Supreme Court judges were still under house arrest, and Geo TV was not yet back on cable in Pakistan. Bhutto still had great concerns that the elections would be rigged. She repeated her public demands that the caretaker government be reconstituted as a neutral group of officials and that the nizams (mayors) who distribute government jobs and benefits be suspended until after the elections. Bhutto expressed concern about “ghost†polling stations, the transfer of key electoral officials, reports of intimidation of PPP workers, and illegal distribution of early ballots. She had no faith in the Election Commission's ability to deter rigging.
5. (C) On the proposed boycott of opposition political parties, Bhutto said that he has spoken several times to Pakistan Muslim League-N leader Nawaz Sharif and had questioned the value of a boycott. “If we are making demands of the government, what exactly are those demands? We need a clear common agenda if we are to unite as an opposition.†The best path was to make the elections as free and fair as possible, and she called on the USG to assist in that process. Nawaz was focusing on restoration of the fired judges, but Bhutto said that the electoral process was more important. She was inclined to participate in elections to keep in touch base with her voter bank.
6. (C) Senator Corker expressed appreciation for Pakistan's efforts in fighting terrorism and promised to raise with President Musharraf our shared concern about the integrity of the elections.
7. (C) Congressman Dreier agreed that we wanted free and fair elections--he had seen some progress and would support a robust International Republican Institute (IRI) observer mission. But, the larger issues were to support the rule of law and the development of institutions that could fight extremism. That was the main reason the USG was engaged in Pakistan.
8. (C) Congressman Issa reiterated support for improving the electoral process but said that in reality there will be widespread voter fraud. The important point was to participate so that PPP would have an opportunity to form or be a part of an eventual coalition government. Issa said, admittedly, it is painful to the in the minority but it is not fatal.
9. (C) Congressman Wilson noted that he had participated in elections observation in Bulgaria and had learned the importance of adequate training of poll watchers. Bhutto agreed and thanked the USG for its support of programs implemented by IRI, the National Democratic Institute and others. She noted particularly how helpful IRI polling had been.
10. (C) On her relationship with President Musharraf, Bhutto noted there were two fault lines in Pakistan: dictatorship vs. democracy and moderation vs. extremism. She and Musharraf concurred on the latter but disagreed on the former. Senator Corker asked about the state of their relations now, and Bhutto described them as “stormy.†During 8-10 months of discussions, Musharraf had been easy to talk to, but when the talking was over, there were no results. Musharraf had reneged on promise after promise. In the end, Musharraf had not agreed to Bhutto's demand that the constitutional two-term limit be lifted immediately after elections, and had not agreed to change the constitutional clause that allowed the President to fire the Prime Minister. Bhutto felt that she was being set up for failure.
11. (C) Codel Bennett did not clear this message.
PATTERSON