US asks Pak to sign CTBT

When Aziz urged US to create a non coercive environment including lifting of sanctions, Albright said Washington had already taken several steps to ease the situation and a response from Islamabad was expected.

At the United Nations General Assembly last year, Pakistan Prime Minister had promised to sign the CTBT before October this year. But due to immense domestic pressure, the Sharif government is now saying that it would do so only in a non coercive environment after all sanctions imposed in the wake of its nuclear test against Islamabad are lifted.

A senior State Department official told newsmen that Aziz soughtthe US intervention to resolve the Kashmir issue, but Albright said India and Pakistan should try to resolve the matter bilaterally taking into consideration the views of the Kashmiris.

The issue of Afghanistan and Osama bin Laden too came up but the American official did not elaborate on that.

Replying a question on CTBT, the US official listed the steps that the United States had taken to ease sanctions, including support for loans from the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank to help Pakistan’s economy.

Besides the resolution, the issue of F-16 war planes also provided substantial financial package, he said.

The official also spoke of long standing relations with Pakistan and referred to the "important" role it could play in the Central Asia and the Gulf.

Respect freedom of democracy: US

WASHINGTON: The United States has voiced concern over the arrest of hundreds of people in Pakistan before a planned anti-government demonstration on Saturday and asked the Nawaz Sharifgovernment to respect the freedom of democracy.

US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright discussed the issue with Pakistan Foreign Minister Sartaj Aziz in New York on Monday, State Department spokesman James Rubin said.

Pakistan’s action against anti-government demonstration appeared to have been an “attempt to suppress a peaceful protest against the government of Premier Sharif,” Rubin said here.

“We support the strengthening of democracy in Pakistan, and call upon Prime Minister Sharif and his government to carry out their responsibility to preserve the rights of freedom of speech and press and peaceful assembly,” he said.

Calling upon the Sharif government to respect the freedom of democracy, Rubin said, “As we have said in the past, the United States is concerned about the mass arrests of opposition political party members in connection with peaceful demonstrations."

On Saturday, police had arrested several hundred people who were to participate in an anti-government demonstration called bythe Grand Democratic Alliance, an umbrella organisation of 19 Pakistani religious and political parties.