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The Prime Minister of Pakistan, Mr. Shaukat Aziz visits United States
The last engagement the Prime Minister had in Washington was an informal meeting with bipartisan delegation of U.S. Senators led by Senator John Kerry, who had recently visited Pakistan. It was followed by a dinner, and the Prime Minister drove straight to the airport to embark on return journey. Held at Kerry's Georgetown residence, the informal meeting discussed a wide range of issues. Ambassador Jehangir Karamat accompanied the Prime Minister.Besides Senator John Kerry, a Democrat from Massachusetts,a presidential candidate in the 2004 U.S. elections-who is member of Foreign Relations Committee, and also member of finance, science and small business committees; the other lawmakers included Senator Richard Lugar (Republican, from Indiana), who is chairman of the important Senate Foreign Relations Committee; Senator John Warner (Republican, from Virginia), chairman, Senate Armed Services Committee; Senator Patrick Leahy (Democrat, from Vermont), Member, Appropriations Committee; and Senator JackReed (Democrat from Rhode Island). The last event was "unique, warm and friendly," sources stated. Earlier in the evening, the Prime Minister met Senator Bill Frist, the Majority Leader; and Senator Harry Reid, Senate Minority Leader, with whom, "subjects of common interest were discussed." At the meeting with Senator Harry Reid, the other Senators present were Tom Harkin and Tim Johnson; while during the meeting with Senator Frist, those present were Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky), Majority Whip, and Chairman of the Foreign Appropriations Committee. The same day, the Prime Minister held meetings with vice president Dick Cheney, USTR Rob Portman and Treasury Secretary John Snow. U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, earlier called on him at the Blair House. Both on January 23 and 24, the Prime Minister had a number ofimportant engagements. A number of Pakistani Americans, as in fact,many mainstream American figures told newsmen that in Mr. Shaukat Aziz, they saw "a well composed, confident, shrewd and alert statesman" convincingly facing onslaught of the terse questions from noted CNN anchorperson Wolf Blitzer on Sunday. Those listening the Prime Minister speak at the Asia Society,the Pakistan community in New York, and his interaction with community professionals at the Pakistan Embassy, Washington DC, as well as at the Heritage Foundation stated that "he was simply superb, dashing, logical to the core." The major event in Washington was the Prime Minister's meeting with President Bush at the White House on January 24. "We have conveyed our concerns and apprehensions, and we agreed that there's a need to coordinate and communicate better," the Prime Minister told an international wire service, after meeting President Bush at the White House, on January 24. Pakistan has been critical of the U. S. for Jan. 13 airstrike in Bajaur area, near the Afghan border, that killed at least 13 civilians, and impressed the need for a better coordination and communication- as befitting of a close ally in the war on terror.
President Bush announced that he would be visiting Pakistan and India in March. Sources said Foreign Secretary Riaz Muhammad Khan has stayed back in Wahington in connection with working out of dates, and plans for the presidential visit. Of the White House meetings, an inside report says that Bush and Aziz's meeting lasted "nearly two hours" and included talks in the Oval Office and the executive residence. It was the first visit by Prime Minister Aziz after his induction as head of Pakistan government on August 23, 2004. Before that, he was an acclaimed finance minister. Of the talks held at the Oval office, White House Spokesman said: "They talked about how we're working together in the war on terrorism and how it's important to continue working together." "They talked about continuing to work to improve cooperation and coordination,"McClellan said. Of the talks, he said with "a good friend" like Pakistan, "we talk in a very open way." Both the leaders, McClellan added: "were talking about the issue of winning the war on terrorism." "And they also had a discussion looking at making sure that there is good cultural and religious understanding between countries, particularly a country like the United States and a country like Pakistan- a country that has a predominantly Muslim community there." "So they talked about inter-faith understanding and working on those efforts, as well, to address some of the issues that relate to our overall efforts in addressing the root causes of terrorism." Hence, for the first time, discussion took place on the need to address the root causes of issues-- the imperative need of which Pakistan had long been urging. The White House Spokesman said "there is a lot of appreciation in Pakistan for what the United States has done to help the Pakistani people respond to the devastating earthquake that hit the region.Our United States military and many American citizens have been helpful in those efforts, in terms of saving lives and helping to rebuild communities." McClellan said President Bush "looks forward to going to both India.in March." and that "We'll be having a more official announcement soon, on the trip."
Jan 27 (APP)
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WASHINGTON,
Jan 27 Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz concluded a weeklong "significant
and fruitful" visit of the UnitedStates, from Jan. 18 to 24, during
which he met President Bush, held meetings with U.S. officials, interacted
with think tanks,business and corporate leaders and gave interviews to
mainstreamU.S. media.
"The
relationship with Pakistan is a vital relationship for the United States,"
President Bush said in his remarks at the photo opportunity. He added:
"I want to thank the prime minister and thank the president for working
closely with us on a variety of issues. We're working closely to defeat
the terrorists that would like to harm America and harm Pakistan."