Pakistan never felt so important before in its history<g> I added my comments to see how one scenario in international diplomacy can certainly go, maybe you all 'll learn something
dailynews.yahoo.com
Pakistan's Musharraf Faces Tough Decision
By Andy Soloman
KARACHI (Reuters) - Pakistan's military
rulers faced intense pressure on Sunday to say
what support they can offer Washington's
coalition against global terror after rallying to
the fledgling alliance despite domestic
misgivings. [the necessary negotiating tactics until they ask for their prize]
Pakistan is one of just three countries to
recognize the ruling Taliban in neighboring
Afghanistan (news - web sites), a likely target
of American anger following terror Tuesday's
attacks that killed thousands in New York and
Washington.
But with President Bush (news - web sites)
declaring the United States at war with global
terror on Saturday and naming Afghan-based Osama bin Laden (news -
web sites) as the prime suspect in the attacks, the time for concrete
action was fast approaching. [yes, very fast, the faster it's coming the bigger the prize for Musharraf]
Washington has asked Pakistan to grant military overfly rights and
``military access,'' to seal the Afghan border and to halt fuel supplies to
the Taliban, who have been sheltering Saudi-born bin Laden despite
U.S. efforts to extradite him on earlier terror charges.
Pakistan military ruler General Pervez Musharraf has pledged full
cooperation to Bush and spent much of Saturday locked in discussions
with his National Security Council and cabinet. [Musharraf hit the jackpot!]
He then received a flurry of late night phone calls, including one from
Bush and another from Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah. [Musharraf feels like one in a million]
``President George Bush thanked President Pervez Musharraf and the
people of Pakistan for the firm support and cooperation extended to the
U.S. government in its fight against terrorism,'' the official APP news
agency said early on Sunday.
TOUGH CALL
APP said Musharraf reiterated pledges ``to extend full support for the
cause of fight against international terrorism.'' [Go get em Musharraff]
But commentators say Pakistan, the Taliban's main backer, faces its
toughest decision since independence from Britain in 1947 -- help the
United States and risk internal turmoil, or back away and suffer
sanctions, possible military strikes and economic meltdown. [LOL, we don't bomb countries with nuclear bombs in their arsenal, besides we need Osama and Taliban and Musharraf can certainly help us and maybe deliver them to us]
APP reported that Saudi's Prince Abdullah and Musharraf were in
``complete unanimity'' on how to handle the fallout from the terror
attacks, [Musharraf gets a lot of free oil on top] which saw two hijacked commercial jets slam into New York's
World Trade Center and another into the Pentagon (news - web sites).
Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates are the only
countries to recognize the Taliban as a
legitimate government. [hmm, why don't we bomb them too, ahh, never mind]The United Arab
Emirates said on Saturday it was reviewing its
ties with the hardline Islamic movement.
Secretary of State Colin Powell (news - web
sites) said on Saturday that Islamabad had
offered to help the United States ``in whatever
might be required'' in dealing with Afghanistan. .
In Islamabad, Pakistani Foreign Minister Abdul Sattar said the
government would comply with all U.N. Security Council resolutions to
combat terrorism. [of course it will]
Musharraf, generally viewed as a liberal, has launched campaigns
against terror and lawlessness in crime-ridden Pakistan. [don't forget, he is a dictator, but that never stopped us supporting these guys, and it certainly will not stop us now that we need him so much!]
The stakes, however, are now higher than ever before, especially given
the degree of support the Taliban enjoys in Pakistan itself. [you bet they are higher, the higher they are the higher the price!]
The Taliban have threatened to attack any neighboring countries
supporting U.S. strikes against Afghanistan.
Editorials in leading Pakistani newspapers warn of chaos, anarchy, or
even civil war in Pakistan, a base for a number of Islamic fundamentalist
groups and jihadi, or holy war, organizations fighting in Indian-ruled
Kashmir (news - web sites) and elsewhere. [Musharraf gets loads of arm to put them down, heck it's worth it]
The alternative would see the cash-strapped and heavily indebted
country lose vital funding from donors including the International
Monetary Fund (news - web sites) and World Bank (news - web sites),
they predict. [Musharraf solves that problem too!]
The United States has, meanwhile, told Pakistan that it must ``take
sides.'' [in international diplomacy, you NEVER just take sides without something in return, NEVER] |
