Pakistan defense minister blasts US policy in region

Khawaja Asif calls for South Asian nations to help provide solutions

Pakistan Defense Minister Khawaja Asif said on Tuesday that US policies have failed in the region, and called for solutions to problems in the region from regional countries.

The minister told reporters in Islamabad that the region is suffering from US policies.

"The existence of a lone superpower is the main cause of the problems," Khawaja Asif said. He said regional countries should find solutions to their own problems instead of involving others.

He made the remarks as foreign ministers from eight South Asian nations met on Tuesday in the Nepalese capital to prepare for the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation summit.

The meeting in Kathmandu will finalize agreements and plan the agenda for the leaders' gathering on Wednesday and Thursday.

Khawaja Asif said he hoped that Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's participation in the regional summit will help in "reduction of tensions" between Pakistan and India.

Although no meeting between Sharif and his Indian counterpart, Narendra Modi, is planned on the sidelines of the summit, officials do not rule out any such interaction.

"I also look forward to holding bilateral discussions with other South Asian heads of state and government on the margins of the SAARC summit," Modi said in a statement on Tuesday.

Asif said Pakistan wants good relations with India, but Pakistan's quest should not be considered as weakness. He said the prime minister has expressed resolve to improve relations with India.

The minister said peace in Afghanistan is necessary for the stability in the region, and Pakistan will have to play a role for peace in Afghanistan.

He said the military operation in the North Waziristan tribal region is producing results. He said all groups are being targeted in the offensive without any discrimination.

"Operations will continue against the terrorists in the tribal regions," he said, adding that Pakistan's economy faces challenges due to its protracted war on terror.

The security forces launched a major offensive in North Waziristan in June, and the military said nearly 1,200 militants had been killed and their 400 hideouts destroyed. The military also said about 90 percent of the area had been cleared of the Pakistani Taliban and foreign militants.

Xinhua - AP

(China Daily 11/26/2014 page11)