Tell us where Osama is: Clinton tells Pakistan

IANS

Kabul, 21 July 2010: US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has asked Pakistan to give US intelligence on Al Qaeda and its elusive leader Osama bin Laden as it’s personal between her and the terror group. "I want those guys," she said. "I assume somebody in this (Pakistani) government, from top to bottom, does know where bin Laden is, and I’d like to know too," Clinton told Fox News Channel from Kabul where she is convening an international donors conference on Afghanistan. "It’s not yet what I want to be," Clinton said of US-Pakistani cooperation against Al Qaeda. "Having been a senator from New York on 9/11, I want those guys - I mean, I will not be satisfied until we get them," said Clinton, who spent the weekend in Pakistan shoring up frayed relations.

 

 

Clinton also noted Pakistan’s internal political problems in moving against Pakistani elements of the Taliban who are believed to be sheltering Al Qaeda. But she added that the US would stay in the region for the long-term to provide support. "This is tough," Clinton said. "I’m not going to sit here and tell you that it’s not, but boy, do I think it would be a mistake to walk away." Clinton added: "We’ve done that. We have walked away from both Pakistan and Afghanistan in the past, with all the consequences we’re well aware of."

India talks tough, says don’t be selective on terror

 

One can’t be selective about fighting terror, India’s Foreign Minister SM Krishna told the Kabul conference and also brought up the recent Indo-Pak dialogue with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton at the sidelines of the donors conference here on Tuesday. At the Kabul conference, Krishna aired India’s concerns about the proposed re-integration of the Taliban, a contentious proposal to turn lure back low-level Taliban operatives through cash and job incentives, that was endorsed by the 70-nation London Conference on Afghanistan six months ago.

 

 

India said any new process to stabilise the war-torn nation must be fully "Afghan-led and Afghan-owned" and sought an end to sustenance and sanctuaries for terrorists from outside. The international community should ensure that there is no selectivity in dealing with terrorism, External Affairs Minister S M Krishna said in a statement at the international conference on Afghanistan, where he supported the peace process which, he added, should be "inclusive and transparent." "Terrorism cannot be compartmentalised. Today, one cannot distinguish between al-Qaeda and plethora of terrorist organisations which have imbibed the goals and techniques of al-Qaeda.

 

"It is therefore, essential to ensure that support, sustenance and sanctuaries for terrorist organisations from outside Afghanistan are ended forthwith," he told the delegates, including his Pakistani counterpart Shah Mahmood Qureshi who was among the 30-odd Foreign Ministers present at the meet. Describing India and Afghanistan as "historic friends," Krishna said New Delhi has contributed to this country’s efforts in nation-building and reconstruction "entirely in accordance with the priorities of the Afghan government and people."

Krishna briefs Clinton on Indo-Pak talks

 

Krishna briefed Clinton on the dialogue with his Pakistani counterpart S M Qureshi apart from reviewing bilateral ties. They also spoke about Obama’s India visit in November. Both are learnt to have a good meeting in which they reviewed the Af-Pak policy. Krishna and Clinton also reviewed the US National Security Adviser James Jones’s recent visit to New Delhi. India is hoping for the easing of US high-tech exports as a major gain during Obama’s visit.