Posts Tagged ‘Richard Holbrooke’

Holbrooke’s advice to Grossman

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Special Envoy Marc Grossman in his efforts to improve strained ties between Pakistan and the United States, post Abbottabad, would do well to listen to former Special Envoy Richard Holbrooke’s advice from beyond the grave, in the form of his diary entries and jottings, now with his spouse, Kati Marton.…

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US envoy visits Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Saudi Arabia

US special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, Marc Grossman. -File Photo

WASHINGTON: The US special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, Marc Grossman, has begun a tour of both countries as well as India and Saudi Arabia, the State Department said Thursday.

It will be the first time that Grossman, who departed Washington on Wednesday, has traveled to India since he succeeded Richard Holbrooke, who died in December, the department said in a statement.

“In all of his meetings in the region, Ambassador Grossman will emphasize the US commitment to long-term, enduring partnerships with both Afghanistan and Pakistan,” the department said.

“In Kabul and Islamabad, Ambassador Grossman will meet with senior government officials, parliamentarians, and representatives from civil society and local media,” the department said.

He will also meet in Pakistan with those who chair the US-Pakistan Strategic Dialogue working groups to discuss preparations for the next round of consultations, it said.

“In Riyadh, Ambassador Grossman will also meet with senior government officials,” it said.

A State Department document from February 2010 that was released by whistleblower website WikiLeaks late last year said Saudi Arabia has been assisting in negotiations with the Taliban militia in Afghanistan.

Other US diplomatic cables released by WikiLeaks said Saudi Arabia is also the key source of funding for radical groups including Al-Qaeda, the Taliban, Lashkar-e-Taiba in Pakistan and Hamas in Gaza.

Gross’ tour comes as President Barack Obama reshuffles his national security team by appointing CIA chief Leon Panetta as defense secretary, and General David Petraeus, commander of forces in Afghanistan, as CIA chief.

The US contingent which makes up two-thirds of the 140,000 member International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) is due to begin drawing down this summer.

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Via DAWN.com

Mourning Holbrooke, Clinton defends Taliban talks

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton speaks during a memorial service for US Ambassador Richard Holbrooke at the American Academy in Berlin, Germany, April 15, 2011. Holbrooke, a long-time US diplomat, most recently served as US President Barack Obama’s special envoy to Pakistan and Afghanistan before his death in December. – AFP Photo

BERLIN: US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Friday voiced understanding for talks with the Taliban as she mourned late diplomat Richard Holbrooke, an avid proponent of reconciliation in Afghanistan.

At a memorial service, Clinton credited Holbrooke — who died unexpectedly at the age of 69 in December — with setting the troubled US relationships with Pakistan and Afghanistan on the right track as special envoy to the countries.

“Those who found negotiations with the Taliban distasteful got a very powerful response from Richard — diplomacy would be easy if we only had to talk to our friends,” Clinton said at the American Academy in Berlin, which was co-founded by Holbrooke, a former ambassador to Germany.

“And negotiating with your adversaries wasn’t a disservice to people who had died, if by talking you could prevent more violence,” Clinton said.

Holbrooke was seen as the main force in President Barack Obama’s administration seeking a political deal in Afghanistan, despite calls by conservatives and the military to try to crush the Taliban insurgency.

Obama has tripled the number of troops in Afghanistan to around 100,000 but his administration has also increasingly signalled it does not believe there is a military solution to the conflict.

Clinton, while supporting the diplomatic push, made clear in talks Thursday with NATO foreign ministers that the United States would stay committed militarily in Afghanistan well beyond a July drawdown date originally set by Obama.

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Via DAWN.com

Haqqani to continue as ambassador to US, says FO

Richard Holbrooke listens to Hussain Haqqani during a news conference by Hillary Rodham Clinton with her Pakistani counterpart, unseen, in Islamabad, Pakistan on Monday, July 19, 2010.—AP

ISLAMABAD: The Foreign Office on Monday termed the news published in a section of press about the replacement of Hussain Haqqani as an ambassador as false and clarified that he will continue with the job at Washington.

In response to media reports regarding the replacement of Haqqani with another senior politician, the Foreign Office spokesperson termed these as “untrue”.

A section of press quoting sources had published that the government had decided to replace Hussain Haqqani with a politician who was also a former foreign minister.

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Via DAWN.com

Mistrust must not spoil US ties, says Zardari

Yousuf Raza Gilani shakes hands with Marc Grossman prior to a meeting at the Prime Minister House in Islamabad. – AFP

ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari on Monday urged the United States to prevent mistrust caused by isolated diplomatic incidents from spoiling ties between the two nations.

Relations between Washington and Islamabad have been strained since police arrested Raymond Davis, a US national who has confessed to killing two men in self-defence on a busy street in Lahore on January 27.

Revelations that Davis was a CIA contractor have heaped pressure on Zardari’s fragile government and further heightened public mistrust of US actions inside Pakistan.

Zardari told visiting US envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan, Marc Grossman that the two countries should not be “swayed by misperceptions and some isolated incidents that may be used by some to increase tensions and mistrust”.

In an official statement Zardari also urged Pakistan and US “to remain focused on the path of pursuing long-term, multifaceted and durable strategic ties.”

Pakistani foreign secretary Salman Basir said last week it was too early to conclude that the incident had inflicted long-term damage on ties between the two countries.

But Washington is pushing hard for Davis’ release, arguing that he has diplomatic immunity and acted in self-defence.

“Weakening of relations was not an option for the two countries. We have to find ways and means to find acceptable solutions to all problems,” Zardari added in the statement.

Grossman’s behind-the-scenes approach is widely seen as a departure from that of his hard-charging predecessor Richard Holbrooke, who died of a torn aorta in December.

Grossman, a Los Angeles native, served at the US embassy in Pakistan from 1977 to 1979 and rose steadily through the ranks of the US Foreign Service. He assisted Holbrooke in the Dayton peace talks that ended the Bosnian war.

Defending Pakistan from accusations by some US officials that it could do more to tackle terrorism, Zardari said “no one should question our commitment or intentions”.

He described Pakistan’s sacrifices in the war against terrorism as “matchless” adding it is “a long-drawn battle where military means alone can not achieve complete victory.”

The president also said his country had an “an abiding interest” in a peaceful and prosperous Afghanistan.

GILANI- GROSSMAN MEETING
Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, during a meeting with  Grossman, said that Pakistan’s stance on the Davis issue is based on principles and there can be no negotiations around it.

He said that the decision regarding Davis’ immunity will be made by the court and it should not affect bilateral ties between Pakistan and the United States.

Gilani urged the new envoy to provide the remaining amount of aid for Pakistan through the coalition support fund.

The premier said that Pakistan wants peace in Afghanistan and suggestions for sustainable peace in the region would be welcomed.

Grossman told the prime minister that the stalled aid for Pakistan will be provided very soon. He also appealed to Gilani to release Davis.

Senior diplomatic officials from Pakistan and US were also present during the meeting.

GROSSMAN-KAYANI MEETING

Grossman also called on Chief of Army Staff, General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani on Monday.

According to a press release issued by the ISPR, the visiting dignitary remained with him for some time and discussed the matters of mutual interest.

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Via DAWN.com

Grossman lauds economic steps

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ISLAMABAD – Newly appointed US Special Representative to Afghanistan and Pakistan, Marc Grossman, arrived here on a two-day official visit on Sunday ostensibly to catch up with the agenda left by his predecessor late Richard Holbrooke.
Apart from his meetings with the officials in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the…

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US `ready to mend Pakistan ties`

On Wednesday, when the US and Pakistani military chiefs had a day-long meeting in Oman, Pakistan`s Ambassador Husain Haqqani was invited to the State Department for a formal meeting with Marc Grossman, the new US Envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan. — File Photo

WASHINGTON: The United States has revived high-level diplomatic and military contacts with Pakistan, indicating a desire to put behind the bitterness created by the arrest of a CIA contractor in Lahore, diplomatic sources told .

On Wednesday, when the US and Pakistani military chiefs had a day-long meeting in Oman, Pakistan`s Ambassador Husain Haqqani was invited to the State Department for a formal meeting with Marc Grossman, the new US Envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan.

During the meeting, the State Department informed the ambassador that Mr Grossman planned to visit Islamabad early next month for exploratory talks with Pakistani leaders.

Although Mr Grossman served in Islamabad from 1976 to 1983, this would be his first visit to the country since his appointment earlier this month as US special representative for the region, replacing the late Richard Holbrooke.

“There`s no severance of relations,” said a diplomatic source while describing the impact of Raymond Davis`s arrest on US-Pakistan ties. “The Americans were still talking to the Pakistanis but almost always focused on the Davis affair.”

In Wednesday`s meeting, the source said, the Americans did not raise this issue. “Instead, they expressed the desire to move ahead with the efforts to build a strategic relationship with Pakistan.”

The source said that while the trilateral — Afghanistan, Pakistan, the US — talks scheduled in Washington this week had been postponed, the strategic dialogue would go ahead as planned.

The US-Pakistan strategic talks were scheduled next month and may still be delayed but would be held “more or less as planned”, the source said. The source confirmed a news report that the Davis dispute had strained relations between the CIA and the ISI but both sides had agreed to mend those ties as well.

“Misunderstandings and suspicions,” said the source while explaining what caused the tensions between the two spy agencies.

“The Pakistanis complained that the Americans were working behind their back, against the spirit of the partnership,” the source added, while “the Americans felt that the ISI was protecting some insurgents”.

In November, WikiLeaks confirmed that large numbers of US special operations forces had been operating inside Pakistan with or without Islamabad`s consent.

The source also confirmed that the Pakistan Embassy had issued thousands of visas to Americans, more than 400 on a single day. “But all those visas were issued with Islamabad`s consent,” said the source.

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Via DAWN.com

Libya must stop ‘unacceptable bloodshed’ now: Clinton

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton speaks during a tribute in memory of Ambassador Richard Holbrooke at the Asia Society on Friday, Feb. 18, 2011 in New York. – AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews

WASHINGTON: US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton urged Libya on Monday to immediately put an end to “unacceptable bloodshed” as she condemned Moamer Kadhafi’s protest crackdown.

“The world is watching the situation in Libya with alarm,” Clinton said in a written statement. “We join the international community in strongly ,condemning the violence in Libya,.”

“Now is the time to stop this unacceptable bloodshed,” she implored. “Our thoughts and prayers are with those whose lives have been lost, and with their loved ones.

“The government of Libya has a responsibility to respect the universal ,rights of the people,, including the right to free expression and assembly.”

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Via DAWN.com

Stop fomenting anti-Americanism, Hillary urges Pakistan

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. -AFP File Photo

NEW YORK: As a diplomatic standoff between Pakistan and the United States festers, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton warned on Friday that Pakistan risked major instability at home and a hampered war effort in next-door Afghanistan if it didn’t implement reforms and stop fomenting anti-American sentiment.

In a speech at the Asia Society, Ms Clinton said Pakistani cooperation was critical to the success of the fight against Taliban and Al Qaeda extremists in neighbouring Afghanistan. She also said it was “no secret that we have not always seen eye to eye with Pakistan”.

“Pressure from the Pakistani side will help push the Taliban towards the negotiating table and away from Al Qaeda,” she said.

In an intense hour long speech, Ms Clinton urged India and Pakistan to continue their talks which began in Thimphu (Bhutan) which she said augured well for peace in the region.

“Distrust lingers on both sides,” she said. “We need to work together carefully to prevent misunderstandings and disagreements from derailing the progress we have made in the past two years.”

Relations with Pakistan have plummeted to their lowest point in recent years since the arrest of an American citizen in Lahore. The employee, Raymond Davis, shot and killed two Pakistani men he says were trying to rob him on Jan 27.

While reviewing President Barack Obama’s policy for Afghanistan and Pakistan, Ms Clinton stressed that the transition from US to Afghan-led security in Afghanistan would “be formally launched next month, with troop reductions starting in July and continuing based on conditions on the ground. It will be completed by the end of 2014”.

Special representative

She also formally named Marc Grossman, a former US ambassador to Turkey who served in Pakistan early in his career, as the new Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, replacing Richard Holbrooke who died last December.

Ms Clinton warned Taliban fighters in Afghanistan that they faced a stark choice between war and peace, as US military pressure on them mounted. “They cannot defeat us. And they cannot escape this choice.”

She reiterated America’s three-track strategy in Afghanistan: a military offensive against Al Qaeda and the Taliban; a civilian-led effort to strengthen the Afghan and Pakistani governments, economies and civil societies; and a diplomatic effort to end the Afghan war.

She said the US aimed to bolster an Afghan-led effort to split the Taliban from its Al Qaeda allies and reconcile those willing to renounce violence with the Kabul government.

“In 2001, after 9/11, the Taliban chose to defy the international community and protect Al Qaeda,” she said.

“That was the wrong choice, and they have paid a heavy price. Today, the escalating pressure of our military campaign is sharpening a similar decision for the Taliban: break ties with Al Qaeda, give up your arms and abide by the Afghan constitution and you can rejoin Afghan society; refuse and you will continue to face the consequences of being tied to Al Qaeda as an enemy of the international community.”

US forces are expecting heavy fighting to resume this spring after the annual winter lull.

But Ms Clinton said that the security situation had improved and begun to stabilise, with gains made “at the village level”.

“The momentum of the Taliban insurgents has been blunted and in some places even reversed,” she said.

She said Al Qaeda remained a “serious threat”, but added that the US had given the group’s allies and sympathisers reason to question the value of the alliance.

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Via DAWN.com

US named Marc Grossman new envoy to Pak-Afg

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Retired diplomat and former ambassador to Turkey Marc Grossman will replace the late Richard Holbrooke as US special envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan, The Washington Post reported Monday. It said months of disagreements between the White House and the State Department over the parameters of the job had delayed the…

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Zardari departs from Washington at conclusion of visit

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President Asif Ali Zardari left Washington Saturday evening at the conclusion of his visit, during which he discussed bilateral relations with U.S. President Barack Obama and attended a memorial service for Richard Holbrooke. Zardari is on his way to United Arab Emirates for a global energy summit, to be attended…

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President Zardari arrives in Washington

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President Asif Ali Zardari arrived here in Washington Thursday evening for a visit to the U.S. capital during which he will discuss wide-ranging Pakistan-U.S. cooperation with President Barack Obama and attend a memorial service for Richard Holbrooke, the special envoy, who passed away in December last year.The White House announced…

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$190m US aid for flood victims

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ISLAMABAD – US Acting Special Representative for Pakistan and Afghanistan Frank Ruggiero Thursday announced $190 million aid for victims of last year’s floods, fulfilling a pledge by his predecessor Richard Holbrooke who died last month.
Speaking to reporters alongside Finance Minister Abdul Hafeez Shaikh, Ruggiero said the money would go…

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US leans on Pakistan as Zardari visits

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President Asif Ali Zardari visits the United States next week as Washington seeks to put pressure on Islamabad to pursue militants without pushing an already strained relationship to breaking point.
Zardari will deliver a eulogy at a memorial service on Jan. 14 for Ambassador Richard Holbrooke, the veteran U.S. diplomat…

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US envoy due to visit Afghanistan and Pakistan: official

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Frank Ruggiero, who last month replaced the late Richard Holbrooke as acting representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, will travel to those countries later this week, a US official said.
His trip comes before world leaders from South Asia and beyond attend a memorial ceremony for Holbrooke on January 14, State…

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Holbrooke death leaves hole in US “AfPak” team

WASHINGTON: The death of veteran US diplomat Richard Holbrooke leaves the Obama administration with a worrying gap as it grapples with Afghanistan and Pakistan in a region crucial to US security. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton hailed Holbrooke, who died on …

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Via DAWN.com

Taliban says Afghan stress weakened Holbrooke

KABUL: The Afghan Taliban said on Tuesday US diplomat Richard Holbrooke was a “giant of American politics and diplomacy” but had been weakened by the challenge of trying to end a war that has dragged on for nearly a decade. Taliban …

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Via DAWN.com