Be good, Clinton tells Musharraf

But indications are that President Clinton failed to win any assurances from Pakistan’s military regime on nuclear disarmament, Kashmir or democracy.

White House spokesman Joe Lockhart, however, said Clinton’s “serious, frank” discussions with Gen Pervez Musharraf achieved the main goal of the visit — to register his grave concern over the direction of the longtime US ally. “The President felt it was important to come here and deliver this message personally and keep the lines of communication open between the two governments,” Lockhart said after the talks. “That was accomplished here this afternoon.”

Clinton pressed Musharraf to set a timetable for a return to democracy and warned that “embarking on the arms race was an expensive way to squander the country’s wealth,” Lockhart said. He also urged him to open talks with India over Kashmir, to use his influence to fight terrorism and to spare the life of deposed Prime minister Nawaz Sharif.

But a senior US official told AFP that Musharraf stood his ground. “We heard no new assurances,” said the official, adding that Musharraf continued to insist that the democratic rule he overthrew was “deeply flawed”.

Later in the address to the Pakistani nation, Clinton said: “We can be a force for peace but we cannot force peace. Only you and Indiacan do that through dialogue.” He ruled out any American mediation on Kashmir and warned Pakistan that while he sympathised over the human rights issues in Kashmir, there was no military solution to the Kashmir question and Pakistan would lose sympathy if it did not respect the Line of Control. “Do not attempt to redraw borders with blood,” he said.

In the 20-minute speech telecast live by Pakistan Television, Clinton talkedabout the country’s absence of democracy, the threat posed by extremistsand terrorism to Pakistan and the US, the wisdom of signing the CTBT andthe folly of pursuing a confrontational line of action with India, withspecial reference to the Kashmir issue.

Clinton said that Pakistan has to adopt a “more tolerant and generousvision” if South Asia is to be the success story of the next 50 years.Clinton was bitter in his criticism of Pakistan’s repeated diversions fromdemocracy. “While I share your disappointment over the past democraticgovernments, democracy cannot develop if it is constantly uprooted.” Hesaid that while he considered General Musharraf’s announcement of localbody elections as a “big step,” America wanted a “complete plan, a roadmap,” for return to full democracy.

Clinton said that the people of Pakistan should decide their future, hinting that the military had no business to do so.

On the issue of terrorism, Clinton said that in the manner that Pakistanand the US had co-operated in fighting the narcotics trade, he looked forward to similar co-operation in fighting terrorism. “These are ourcommon enemies, whether they plant bombs at bus stands or embassies.”

The US president also asked Pakistan whether they felt any safer as anuclear power. “Are you more secure? Is a war with India less likely?” heasked, as he pushed for Pakistan to sign the CTBT, after which “the worldwill rally behind you”.

Clinton talked about the economic impact of the confrontational approachadopted by Pakistan. On the issue of relations with India, the US presidentstressed that while he had broached the subject with the Indian governmentwhom he urged to seize the opportunity for dialogue, it was Pakistan’sresponsibility to “create conditions for dialogue”. These conditionsincluded respecting the Line of Control.

Calling them “useless costly struggles,” Clinton said that the “starktruth” was that Pakistan can ill afford to provoke a bigger conflict andthat there was no military solution to Kashmir. Quoting verses of Iqbal andsayings of Jinnah, Clinton said that the bottomline was “dialogue, notdestruction” and this was the path that he wanted Pakistan to pursue.

Clinton gave his speech after a delay of one and a half hours, and PakistanTelevision said that this was because the US president’s parleys withPakistan Chief Executive had extended beyond the scheduled two hours.

Earlier, President Bill Clinton arrived at Chaklala Air Force Base amidstvery tight security arrangements and immediately left by his limousine forthe Presidential Palace in Islamabad, to meet his host, President RafiqAhmad Tarrar for 15 minutes before entering into discussions with GeneralMusharraf. One gaffe of the day was that Tarrar was not in place whenClinton arrived at the palace, and rushed to meet Clinton soon after hearrived, who smiled at the reception.

Besides this, all things went like clockwork. In fact, at the insistence ofthe US security officials, Clinton’s motorcade travelled on the right sideof the highway to Islamabad and back as is the case in the US, against theusual left side where Pakistanis drive. However, this did not causeproblems as the highway had been blocked for hours ahead of the visit.Soldiers were standing guard on streets and in corners and jeeps mountedwith machine guns patrolling the tree-lined highway from the airport toIslamabad.

He was received by the Pakistan foreign minister, Abdus Sattar, at the airbase, which stands next to Islamabad Airport, where all commercial flightshad been cancelled for the length of the presidential stop-over.

Along the route to Islamabad, which soldiers had combed for explosives, thestreets were lined with armed soldiers and police. But unlike the motorcaderoute in India, where the roads were clogged with well-wishers, the publicwas stopped from lining the roads to greet the US president by the localadministration and the US president saw bare roads with intense securityarrangements. Since this was not a state visit, the usual pleasantries weredone away with.

Clinton held two meetings with Gen. Musharraf, participating in aworking lunch before making a television address to the Pakistani nation.Conspicuous along the way to the meetings were about a dozen boldlylettered signs calling attention to the crisis in Kashmir. “You were fairin Kosovo. Be fair in Kashmir,” one said.