ISLAMABAD Dec 01 : As American officials around the globe prepared last week for a deluge of leaked cables from the Web site WikiLeaks that could expose them at their least statesman like, they also undertook an acutely delicate diplomatic task: cushioning the blow with key friends and rivals.
The State Department last week briefed the Pakistani ambassador in Washington and the next day, in person and by phone, senior U.S. officials extended regrets and assurances to Pakistan's president and foreign minister that the leaks would not affect bilateral relations, according to a senior Pakistani diplomat, Washington Post reported.
Few nations are higher on that list than Pakistan, an uneasy ally in the war on terror, and few harbor more doubts about U.S. loyalty. For nearly two years, as part of President Obama's Afghan war strategy, an expanding embassy staff in Islamabad and streams of visiting delegations have repeatedly insisted that the United States is a steadfast partner interested
in stabilizing, not undermining, Pakistan. According to Pakistani and U.S. officials, those pledges have begun to bear fruit.But secret State Department documents originating from the embassy in Pakistani capital city, which began to leak out publicly Tuesday, couldundermine those efforts. Of particular concern, Pakistani officials said, is how the leaked cables depict Pakistan's military, which is considered the real power in this nominally civilian-led nation, and its nuclear weapons
program, which many Pakistanis believe the United States seeks to destroy.
Anticipating tension over the revelations, U.S. officials have sought to head off the damage, the Pakistani diplomat said, with a "flurry of diplomatic exchanges."
The maneuvers included a phone call last week from the U.S. special representative to the region, Richard C. Holbrooke, to Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari, as well as a meeting between Munter and Pakistan's foreign minister, Pakistani officials said.
Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, also placed a call to Pakistani Army Chief Ashfaq Kayani.American officials were "apologetic and promised damage control," the
Pakistani diplomat said. Another Pakistani diplomat said U.S. counterparts "told us not to read too much into this matter."
Alberto Rodriguez, a spokesman for the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad, declined to comment on the exchanges, saying only that American officials "spoke to Pakistan's leadership well in advance of the Wiki leaks."
Pakistani officials said the advance warnings and apologies had helped smooth official relations. Assuaging the Pakistani public will be a far more difficult matter, they said.
Cables on Pakistan's support for Islamist militants or other touchy subjects could fuel antipathy toward the United States, emboldening the Pakistani military but undercutting its weak civilian government, officials and analysts said.INP
The State Department last week briefed the Pakistani ambassador in Washington and the next day, in person and by phone, senior U.S. officials extended regrets and assurances to Pakistan's president and foreign minister that the leaks would not affect bilateral relations, according to a senior Pakistani diplomat, Washington Post reported.
Few nations are higher on that list than Pakistan, an uneasy ally in the war on terror, and few harbor more doubts about U.S. loyalty. For nearly two years, as part of President Obama's Afghan war strategy, an expanding embassy staff in Islamabad and streams of visiting delegations have repeatedly insisted that the United States is a steadfast partner interested
in stabilizing, not undermining, Pakistan. According to Pakistani and U.S. officials, those pledges have begun to bear fruit.But secret State Department documents originating from the embassy in Pakistani capital city, which began to leak out publicly Tuesday, couldundermine those efforts. Of particular concern, Pakistani officials said, is how the leaked cables depict Pakistan's military, which is considered the real power in this nominally civilian-led nation, and its nuclear weapons
program, which many Pakistanis believe the United States seeks to destroy.
Anticipating tension over the revelations, U.S. officials have sought to head off the damage, the Pakistani diplomat said, with a "flurry of diplomatic exchanges."
The maneuvers included a phone call last week from the U.S. special representative to the region, Richard C. Holbrooke, to Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari, as well as a meeting between Munter and Pakistan's foreign minister, Pakistani officials said.
Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, also placed a call to Pakistani Army Chief Ashfaq Kayani.American officials were "apologetic and promised damage control," the
Pakistani diplomat said. Another Pakistani diplomat said U.S. counterparts "told us not to read too much into this matter."
Alberto Rodriguez, a spokesman for the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad, declined to comment on the exchanges, saying only that American officials "spoke to Pakistan's leadership well in advance of the Wiki leaks."
Pakistani officials said the advance warnings and apologies had helped smooth official relations. Assuaging the Pakistani public will be a far more difficult matter, they said.
Cables on Pakistan's support for Islamist militants or other touchy subjects could fuel antipathy toward the United States, emboldening the Pakistani military but undercutting its weak civilian government, officials and analysts said.INP
No comments:
Post a Comment