A rchive Date
[ 27-05-2002 ]
Category
[ International Relations ]
sub-Categoy
[ Pakistan ]
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[http://www.canoe.ca/CNEWSAttack0205/26_bush-ap.html
Bush to Musharraf: 'Show results' in fighting terrorism
Sunday, May 26, 2002
PARIS (AP) - President George W. Bush challenged Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf on Sunday to show results in preventing militants from carrying out terrorist acts in the disputed Kashmir region.
That issue, Bush added, is more important than Pakistan's two missile tests during the south Asian country's standoff with its nuclear rival India.
Speaking after meeting with French President Jacques Chirac, Bush said the United States had expressed concerns about the tests to Musharraf's government. But he said he is more interested in seeing that Musharraf take action to stop attacks in Indian-controlled Kashmir, where Indian soldiers and civilians have been killed.
"I'm more concerned about making sure ... that President Musharraf show results in terms of stopping people from crossing the line of control," Bush said.
"Stopping terrorism - that is more important than the missile testing," said Bush, who also discussed the issue before leaving St. Petersburg for Paris at the end of his visit to Russia.
Bush said he hoped India would not view the missile tests as a provocation, given the tensions over the disputed Kashmir region.
Both countries are nuclear powers and "everybody understands the dangers ... and the serious consequences," Bush said.
Bush and Chirac said they discussed Bush's desire to expand the war on terrorism beyond Afghanistan. Most French citizens, shocked by the Sept. 11 attacks, expressed strong sympathy for the United States immediately afterward, but they have since begun to object to civilian casualties in the war on terror.
Still, Bush praised France as a "decisive ally" in the anti-terror effort, taking the lead in hunting down suspected terrorists and sharing intelligence. "For that I'm very grateful, Mr. President," Bush told Chirac.
Looking past his own country's wariness of the anti-terror campaign, Chirac urged other countries to remain committed to the effort.
"Terrorism still exists," Chirac said. "Therefore, all leaders around the world must pay attention to this issue and be determined to eradicate terrorism."
The two presidents also discussed Bush's just-ended visit to Russia, and burgeoning links between Russia and NATO that will be codified in a document to be signed this week in Italy.
"On Tuesday in Rome, we will have an opportunity to set in stone this change in the relationship," Chirac said.
But the French president also chided Bush on a pair of nagging trade issues: U.S. tariffs on steel imports and its newly enacted farm bill that runs afoul of World Trade Organization rules by giving American farmers new subsidies.
Chirac acknowledged that "there could have been a misunderstanding" regarding the farm legislation, but made clear he wants the United States to explain its actions on both matters.
"These are very real issues, and real answers have to be given to these problems, after intense consultation and dialogue," Chirac said.
Asked about Russia's nuclear assistance to Iran, Bush said Russian President Vladimir Putin knows his own country could be endangered if Iran developed the ability to launch missiles.
The United States is concerned that Russia's aid will help Iran develop nuclear weapons. During his summit with Bush, Putin defended the aid as strictly for civilian purposes.
Bush said Putin is willing to see whether Iran would allow inspectors into the country to verify that the plant would not be used to make nuclear weapons. "And we're thinking about what he told us," Bush said.
Bush looked ahead to his visit Monday to the beaches of Normandy for a Memorial Day ceremony honouring soldiers killed in the June 6, 1944 D-Day invasion during the Second World War. Bush said he believes he is the first U.S. president to spend the holiday outside of the United States.
"Memorial Day, in my country, is a day to honour those who have sacrificed for freedom, given their lives," Bush said. "Many died in France and I'm looking forward to the moment to share our country's appreciation."
Bush said he plans to refer to "current, modern-day sacrifices" in his Monday speech.
Ahead of Bush's arrival, leftist organizations - including France's Communist party - called for protests in Paris on Sunday to object to Bush's positions on issues ranging from the death penalty to the environment and the plight of Palestinians.
 World Fact Book (CIA)]
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