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Mishal Husain:
Let's talk for a moment about the changes in U.S. policy towards Pakistan since September the 11th. That was a day on which everything changed for Pakistan. Its relationship with the United States completely changed.
Christina Rocca:
Absolutely. Prior to 9/11, Pakistan had been under a raft of sanctions, which the U.S. had already been trying to lift.
The legislation was in place to lift them. So, we were already in the process of doing it, because we'd understood that we couldn't continue like this. And we wanted to move this relationship forward on a better footing. After 9/11, it was a lot easier. Because then, all the sanctions were able to be waived. And we were able to move forward with Pakistan across the board.
Mishal Husain:
Those were the sanctions imposed after the nuclear test. Did that mean that Pakistan's nuclear weapons, its weapons of mass destruction, suddenly weren't such a problem for the United States?
Christina Rocca:
Actually, those weren't the sanctions in question. The 1998 sanctions were put in place because of the nuclear tests on both India and Pakistan. And they were the ones that were being lifted. There were sanctions in place prior to that, for acquisition of nuclear technology and things like that, which needed to be moved, as well as the democracy sanctions.
Mishal Husain:
We don't hear much, though, about U.S. opposition to Pakistan's nuclear weapon program anymore.
Christina Rocca:
Well, I think we have accepted the fact that these countries have nuclear weapons. What we hope to do is to convince them to adhere to international norms, limit the numbers, and hopefully start to disarm as time goes by.
Mishal Husain:
Isn't the reality of Pakistan today though, in some ways, the United States' worst nightmare? This is a country that has weapons of mass destruction and an active nuclear weapons program. It's also a country where an extremist Islamic movement is becoming increasingly popular.
Christina Rocca:
I'd say at this point we still believe that the government of Pakistan is in control of its nuclear assets. That it knows how to control it, and that nuclear security is a major component of their policy. This is a country that has a lot of potential. There's a lot of people there, and it's got the ability to move in the right direction. This is one of the reasons that we've put forward the enormous multi-year package that we've just presented to Pakistan-- which, by the way, is something that is not done with very many countries. It is intended to signal a long-term commitment to the country, and also to help move this vision of Pakistan forward.
Mishal Husain:
What would you say to the accusation that this $3 billion aid package the United States just gave to Pakistan -- half of which will go to the military -- increases the standoff with India, and increases the ways in which this is such a dangerous part of the world?
Christina Rocca:
Our calculation is different. Our analysis is different. Our view of it is that Pakistan needs conventional weapons. And we'd like to help them acquire them. We don't believe that this will destabilize the current balance that exists in the subcontinent. We're very careful in that respect. We watch very carefully.
Mishal Husain:
But that's a policy that the Indians, for instance, would have grave reservations about.
Christina Rocca:
The Indians understand what we're trying to do, and certainly have expressed that to us.
Mishal Husain:
Is the war on terror now the primary policy imperative behind everything to do with Pakistan? Is cooperation on the war on terror so important to the United States that other issues are put in its shadow for now?
Christina Rocca:
No. The war on terror was the focus of the relationship over the last two years. The government of Pakistan has arrested over 500 members of al-Qaeda, which is very significant. They're a critical partner in the war on terror.
But the fact is that we want to move forward on a much broader-based relationship with Pakistan, and with the people of Pakistan. So it's not just a security relationship. It's also one where we want be of assistance in the area of health, in the area of education, in the area of democratization. The whole idea of the multi-year package is specifically to underlie that policy. Very few countries get a multi-year [package]. The signal there is that we want put our relationship on a different footing. We want to put it on a footing where it's long-term and not dependent on security situations in the world.
Mishal Husain:
And yet President Musharraf is someone who has a lot of problems at home for just that close relationship with the United States.
Christina Rocca:
With certain elements of his country, there's no doubt. But our hope is that we can help as Pakistan moves forward towards becoming more prosperous. And as the benefits are seen by the common man, by the man on the street in Pakistan, this will change.
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U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Christina Rocca
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