PAKISTANI PM AZIZ MEETS THE NAC: "WE ARE AN ANCHOR

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 04 USNATO 000062

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/31/2017
TAGS: NATO PREL MOPS MARR AF PK
SUBJECT: PAKISTANI PM AZIZ MEETS THE NAC: "WE ARE AN ANCHOR
OF PEACE AND STABILITY"


Classified By: Ambassador Victoria Nuland, for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)


1. (C) SUMMARY. In his first meeting with the North
Atlantic Council, Pakistani Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz
vigorously defended Pakistani actions against Al Qaeda and
Taliban terrorists, and his nation's commitment to a
peaceful, stable Afghanistan. He asserted that Pakistan was
"an anchor of peace and stability," that NATO and Pakistan
share key strategic objectives, and that NATO is playing a
key role in regional security. Aziz acknowledged Pakistani
shortcomings on border security and question marks
surrounding the North Waziristan agreement, but also argued
that Afghanistan and ISAF should do more on the Afghan side.


2. (C) In a question and answer session with Ambassadors,
Allied interventions were restrained, with most saluting
Pakistani efforts in the GWOT and on the border, and seeking
greater political dialogue between NATO and Pakistan. Aziz,
speaking beyond the confines of his initial script, and
clearly expecting a tougher audience, vehemently denied
Pakistani state institutions supported the Taliban, decried
press briefings by Allied government officials that
insinuated otherwise, and urged nations to raise concerns
directly with the GOP. He highlighted $350 million in
Pakistani grant aid to Afghanistan, and urged greater,
"Marshall Plan-type" aid from the international community.
On mines and fences, he said that Pakistan would do selective
fencing first, and had made no decisions on mining. He also
noted Pakistani intentions to empty two refugee camps this
year in conjunction with Afghanistan and the UN, and in
closing, invited the SYG and the NAC to Pakistan.
Throughout, Aziz showed his best side to a NAC that knows
very little about Pakistan, and set the stage for further
developments in NATO-Pakistani political relations and
military cooperation. END SUMMARY.

--------------
An Upbeat Tour d,Horizon
--------------


3. (C) In his opening remarks, covered by the press, PM Aziz
stated that NATO and Pakistan shared the same global
objectives of peace, progress, and prosperity; stressed
Pakistan's commitment to realizing a strong and stable
Afghanistan; and reiterated his government's thanks for
NATO's help to Pakistan following the tragic earthquake of
October 2005. SYG de Hoop Scheffer noted the critical role
of Pakistan for ISAF and the region and called for closer
NATO-Pakistani operational cooperation. The SYG hailed this
first-ever NAC meeting with a Pakistani Prime Minister as an
example of constructive political dialogue, and highlighted
the joint commitment of NATO and Pakistan to fighting
terrorism.


4. (C) After the press left the room PM Aziz laid out the
theme of his presentation to the NAC: "Pakistan -- An Anchor
of Peace and Stability." Aziz (who read from a prepared
statement) proceeded to give the NAC a thorough briefing on
his view of NATO, democracy in Pakistan, Pakistan,s economy,
relations with Afghanistan, Pakistan,s contributions to the
war on terrorism, and actions to tackle border challenges.
PM Aziz also offered a quick look at Pakistan,s relations
with other major countries in the region.

-------------- --------------
NATO Ensuring Peace and Security in Our Neighborhood
-------------- --------------


4. (C) Aziz told the NAC that Pakistan viewed NATO as an
organization playing a key role to ensure peace and security,
"not just in the north Atlantic, but also in our
neighborhood." In a riff he returned to repeatedly over the
course of his remarks, the PM stressed that NATO and Pakistan
share strategic interests, particularly the fight against
terrorism and the struggle for peace and stability in
Afghanistan. He stated that Pakistan was a valuable partner

USNATO 00000062 002 OF 004


for NATO to face common challenges such as terrorism, WMD
proliferation, regional conflicts, and the "deprivation" that
bred extremism.

-------------- --------------
Democracy and a Strong Economy Means a Stronger Partner
-------------- --------------


5. (C) PM Aziz asserted that the Pakistani government was
bringing democracy to the doorsteps of its people, pointing
to the existence of opposition political parties, elections
at a variety of levels, and flourishing privaized media as
evidence of strong civil society. He stressed the
government's commitment to economc, political, and social
justice, highlighting eonomic reforms, impressive growth
rates, and stes to empower women. He outlined Pakistan's
eforts to build the infrastructure necessary to serv as a
geostrategic economic hub for Central Asia,Afghanistan, and
western China, particularly in he areas of transport and
pipelines. He welcome the U.S. initiative to support
Reconstruction Oportunity Zones, and asked European nations
to spport this initiative, as well as Pakistan,s reques to
the European Union for a free trade agreemen.

--------------
CT, Border Issues, and Afghanistan Relations
--------------


6. (C PM Aziz stressed Pakistan's opposition to terroris in
any form and contributions to the global waron terrorism,
stating that Pakistan had sufferedmany casualties fighting
al Qaeda and other extrmists in its territory. He pointed
to al Qaeda peratives killed and captured by Pakistan ("Al
Qada,s back is broken"),and Pakistani contributionsto
disrupting planned attacks around the globe. Aziz cited the
Israel-Palestine dispute, the "wa in Iraq," and Kashmir as
three sources of anger frustration, and deprivation that
fueled terrorit recruitment. He urged Allies not to blame
Islm for terrorism bsed on the actions of a few misgided
individuals, and praised President Musharra's policies of
enlightened moderation.


7. (C Turning to the porous Afghanistan-Pakistan border,he
stated that Pakistan had captured or killed oer 800
Taliban/al Qaeda, and in his most pointedremarks, decried
media reports and press briefins by "several nations around
this table" for spreading baseless allegations of state
support of the Taliban. He urged NATO nations to talk
directly to Pakistan, rather than through the press, and to
increase cooperation, such as more real-time intelligence
sharing. He acknowledged that Taliban safehavens do exist
among refugee camps, and that some extremist elements do
reside in Pakistan, but challenged Allies frankly: "don't
assume we are saying one thing and doing something else." e
urged both Afghanistan and ISAF to pick up ther games in
dealing with border issues on the Afghn side. Aziz
characterized President Musharraf's North Waziristan
agreement as "misunderstood". Assuring the NAC that the
Pakistani government had neither abdicated control nor ruled
out the use of force, he said the deal was an effort to
involve tribal elders to promote peace and stop harmful
border crossings both ways, and that the government was still
evaluating its effectiveness. Aziz also told Allies that
Pakistan had decided on selective fencing of border areas,
but would not move forward on mining at present. Finally, he
laid out intentions to work with the Afghan government and
the UN in repatriating refugees from two camps near the
border back to Afghanistan over the coming months.


8. (C) Drawing the link with "western abandonment" of
Afghanistan following the withdrawal of the USSR from
Afghanistan, he expressed disbelief that one could argue
Pakistan wanted Afghanistan to fail. He told the NAC that
when Afghanistan suffers, Pakistan suffers, and pointed to an
extraordinary grant of $350 million of development aid to
Afghanistan (Pakistan does not normally give foreign

USNATO 00000062 003 OF 004


assistance, he stated),plus rapidly increasing trade ties as
evidence of the importance Pakistan places on a stable
Afghanistan. He welcomed Secretary Rice's recent
announcement of an increase in U.S. assistance to
Afghanistan, and called on Europe to do more, arguing for a
"Marshall Plan-type" approach, aimed at winning Afghan hearts
and minds. Telling the NAC that NATO had gotten it partially
right but still had more to do (as part of a "comprehensive
approach" by the larger international community) he stressed
the importance of curtailing the influence of Afghan warlords
and drug barons. Aziz labeled the nexus of drug money
funding terrorism as a growing challenge, yet to be addressed
adequately. Finally, he informed Allies that he had recently
appointed a jirga commission to look into the modalities of
moving forward the proposal of cross-border jirgas.

--------------
Pakistan,s Regional Relations
--------------


9. (C) PM Aziz offered Allies a quick view of Pakistan's
relations with prominent regional actors. He welcomed the
continuing composite dialogue with India, and called for
courage and flexibility in coming to a Kashmir settlement
that respected the wishes and aspirations of Kashmiris.
Characterizing Pakistan's nuclear decisions over the past
decades as responses to India in an effort to maintain a
"minimal deterrence," he highlighted that Pakistan does not
seek regional hegemony, and will not accept it from others.
He praised Pakistan-China relations as a model strategic
partnership. While defending Iran's right to peaceful uses
of nuclear energy under appropriate IAEA safeguards and
international norms, he stated that Pakistan did not support
a nuclear-armed Iran, and urged dialogue to resolve the
problem without resorting to force that would further
destabilize the regional situation. He expressed concern
over sectarian violence in Iraq and the threat to its
territorial integrity, and urged greater action by the
international community so that Iraq not "continue to be a
breeding ground of terrorism." Again pointing to the
Israel-Palestinian conflict as a source of terrorism, he
urged the U.S. and Europe to restart the peace process.

--------------
Q's and A's, Plus an Invitation
--------------


10. (C) Ambassador Nuland welcomed PM Aziz's appearance
before the NAC as an "historic day." She expressed
condolences for recent Pakistani losses in Peshawar and
Islamabad (as a result of recent suicide bombings),and told
Aziz that Pakistan was a vital ally of the U.S. and other
NATO nations in the war on terror both within Pakistan and
globally. She told the PM that our views aligned on the need
for a comprehensive approach encompassing military,
political, and economic facets, and that 2007 was a critical
year for NATO, Afghanistan, and Pakistan to show progress.
The Ambassador echoed the PM's call for greater cohesion of
economic plans in Afghanistan, but noted it was needed on
both sides of the border, to include the Federally
Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) of Pakistan. She stressed
the importance the U.S. places on refugee issues, and
reminded Allies of the financial challenges that will need to
be addressed by the international community as part of any
credible refugee resettlement plan. She welcomed recent
ISAF-PAKMIL cooperation in the Paktika province of
Afghanistan that had resulted in numerous enemy forces
killed, but noted the need to improve operational
coordination further. Finally, the Ambassador asked PM Aziz
to consider more formally becoming a global partner of NATO,
and to investigate possibilities to participate in joint
training and greater political dialogue.


11. (C) The UK and Turkey joined Ambassador Nuland in
welcoming this NAC meeting as an example of NATO's new
approach to partnerships following Riga. Those three, plus

USNATO 00000062 004 OF 004


Germany, welcomed greater practical cooperation between
Pakistan and NATO, for example in select PfP activities.
Several other issues emerged as common themes. The
Netherlands, Canada, Turkey, and France joined the U.S.
discussed the need to tackle refugee resettlement. The
Netherlands, Turkey, Spain, Norway, also expressed interest
in strengthening NATO's political dialogue with Pakistan.
Turkey, Italy, Norway, the U.S., and Chairman of the Military
Committee General Henault welcomed ISAF-Pakistan military
cooperation in the Tripartite Commission. France urged
increased Pakistani attention to Taliban centers in Pakistan
from which cross-border attacks are staged.


12. (C) PM Aziz welcomed the suggestion by Ambassador Nuland
and others for greater political dialogue, and said he would
task the issue appropriately in Islamabad. Observing that
most Ambassadors had probably never been to Pakistan, he
invited the SYG and the NAC to Islamabad in the future.
NULAND