US confident of Pak N-safety: Holbrooke

WASHINGTON (APP) - The White House is confident that US Pakistan friendship will withstand any negative effect from the documents released by WikiLeaks, Special Representative Richard Holbrooke said Thursday, while vowing continued efforts towards building mutual trust. Holbrooke, speaking in the backdrop of media stories questioning the security of Pakistani nuclear assets on the basis of a cable attributed to former ambassador Anne Paterson, also reaffirmed the Obama administrations confidence in the safety of Pakistani nuclear assets. These dreadful leaks, these appalling leaks, which are so unfortunate, are not going to change US-Pakistan relations. We will continue (to advance the ties), said Holbrooke, who talked to the top Pakistani civilian and military leadership before the WikiLeaks web organisation revealed classified cables. I was at a high-level meeting at the White House this morning. That was one of the main conclusions of the meeting that whatever these Wikileaks have to say, they dont change anything fundamental in our relationship, the diplomat told APP in an interview. We have been developing mutual confidence ever since President Obama took office last year. That will continue, remarked the special envoy, when questioned about the confusion emanating from the disclosure of classified documents and the need to build mutual trust. The top diplomat for the region would not comment on contents of any specific cable because we havent had a chance to compare what has been released. There are too many of them (cables) so they may be doctored or whatever. Having said that let me say that the conversation in question took place a long time ago, the (early) days when we took office. Weve spent a great deal of time, talking to our Pakistani friends about this. And as President Obama and Secretary Clinton have said repeatedly, we believe that the Pakistani government and those in charge of its arsenal have taken safeguards which are reassuring to us, he said. The international media, citing former ambassador Anne Paterson from WikiLeaks revelations, reported this week that US offered to help secure nuclear material from a research facility while Pakistans resisted any foreign involvement in the matter. The newspaper stories also claimed that the US diplomat expressed concerns over the possibility of nuclear materials falling into wrong hands. Continuing his remark, Holbrooke, who is special envoy for Pakistan and Afghanistan, said this is a story ready-made for people who want to cause problems between the United States and Pakistan. But they should be reassured there is no change in American policy and we work closely with Pakistan and one telegram out of context can be misunderstood, he noted. Holbrooke also said Pakistan was the first country, the Obama administration reached out before the WikiLeaks disclosures were made. Questioned if the Obama administration is alive to the difficulties Pakistan faces simultaneously as it also prosecutes the fight against terrorists along the Afghan border, Holbrooke noted that Pakistan is under tremendous pressure, its resources have been stretched thin by demands on both borders and by diversion of 70,000 troops after floods. He acknowledged that a lot of people in the West do not fully understand the problems facing Pakistan. We have talked to your government and I believe that the Pakistani army is doing a great deal within its capabilities and resources. And we always are looking for ways to be of support. Asked if Washington is conscious of Pakistani sensitivities on issues vital to the South Asian nation, Holbrooke said, I think the Pakistani people should know that America appreciates the situation that Pakistan is in. While there are always things that we hope that can be done in the future, we fully understand the pressure that they are under. We fully support their efforts during the floods in particular, (which are) not sufficiently acknowledged outside of Pakistan.

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