July 26, 2015
News
Iran nuclear deal to advance peace and growth in region, says Fatemi
* End to sanctions will open up new opportunities for Pakistan to enhance its commercial ties with Iran
APPWASHINGTON: The nuclear deal between Iran and the Unites States will open up doors of massive trade for Pakistan with Tehran, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs Tariq Fatemi was quoted as saying by US media.
Talking to a group of reporters, Fatemi praised the deal and said it would advance the cause of both peace and economic growth in the region, online news magazine Foreign Policy reported on Saturday.
“We are convinced that it is the right thing,” Fatemi was quoted as saying by the magazine. “We are also convinced that an end to sanctions will open up new opportunities for Pakistan to enhance its commercial and economic ties with Iran.”
He said that while much have been made of the spike in European business interest in Iran following the July 14 accord that will ease economic sanctions on Tehran, Pakistan was also keen to open up trade with the neighbouring country. “We have a long border, and we could have massive trade with that country, should this issue of sanctions no longer be hovering over us,” he added.
According to the magazine, Pakistan’s interest in the lifting of United Nations sanctions on Tehran most immediately pertains to long-stalled efforts to operate a $7.5 billion Pakistan-Iran gas pipeline, progress on which was stalled after international sanctions.
“This pipeline would not only benefit Pakistan in terms of providing us a valuable source of energy, we also believe that such a pipeline could also encourage cooperation among the countries of the region that would really strengthen peace and stability,” Fatemi was quoted by the report. “As soon as the sanctions are lifted, we will explore avenues and opportunities of strengthening our economic [and] commercial ties with Iran.”
The Washington Times quoted Fatemi as saying that Pakistan was being ‘mindful’ not to take action until the UN sanctions were officially lifted though Islamabad, he added, was already in constant communication with Iranian authorities regarding the pipeline.
In his wide-ranging talks with reporters, he said that Pakistan was on a path toward stability and democratic transition. On an official visit here, Fatemi has met with senior Obama administration officials, State Department diplomats and several high-level members of Congress from both sides of the aisle.
The special assistant to PM said that American officials gave him confidence that US-Pakistan relations were growing strong. The US officials expressed support for the Pakistani government’s 13-month-old military campaign against Taliban and so-called Haqqani Network militants along the Afghan-Pakistan border, the paper reported.
A central focus, he said, has been boosting peace talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban. “It is only through promoting reconciliation talks that peace can be assured in Afghanistan,” said Fatemi, highlighting the importance of a July 7 meeting in Pakistan between prominent Taliban leaders along with prominent representatives of President Ashraf Ghani’s cabinet. “More importantly, senior representatives of Pakistan, the United States and China were present in those talks as well,” he said, adding that “we wish to make this a process rather than to keep it as an event”.
On relations with India, Fatemi also expressed confidence that long-standing friction between Pakistan and India was beginning to ease, the paper quoted him as saying. Pakistan was “ready to enter into a meaningful, comprehensive, sustained dialogue process” with India. “We have made this offer on so many occasions,” he said. “It is now for India to respond.”
Meanwhile, Fatemi called on US Deputy Defence Secretary Robert Work at Pentagon and exchanged views on wide ranging issues of common strategic interest, a press statement said.
The two officials expressed satisfaction that Pakistan-US bilateral relationship was on an upward trajectory. Fatemi appreciated US support to Pakistan in dealing with security challenges and reiterated Pakistan’s determination to resolutely fight the menace of terrorism. Both sides expressed satisfaction that the Defence Consultative Group, a working group under the bilateral strategic dialogue, had been a productive mechanism in stimulating close and successful partnership in a number of key areas.
Fatemi also briefed the Deputy Secretary on Pakistan’s desire to establish friendly relations with all its neighbours in the interest of building a peaceful, secure and prosperous neighbourhood. He outlined the specific steps that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had undertaken in that direction, including extending Pakistan’s support to peace and stability in Afghanistan.
The special assistant to prime minister on foreign affairs also met the House Rules Committee Chairman Rep Sessions at the Capitol Hill. He briefed him on the state of Pakistan-US relationship. He said that a politically stable, economically growing and democratic Pakistan was a strong partner of the United States. Both sides discussed issues related to bilateral security and economic cooperation and the ways and means to add further vigour to the relationship. Welcoming Fatemi, Rep Sessions expressed satisfaction on the growing momentum in bilateral cooperation. He appreciated Pakistan’s resolute actions against terrorism and noted the sacrifices made by Pakistanis in the struggle against extremism.
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk