Washington:
This week, senior government and army officials from Pakistan aremeeting with their American counterparts in Washington. US Secretary ofState Hillary Clinton will hold talks with Pakistani Foreign MinisterShah Mehmood Qureshi.
Political analysts say that much of the agenda for the US-Pakistantalks is being set by Pakistan's Army Chief Ashfaq Kayani. So far,Kayani, in Washington for the talks, has met with US Defense SecretaryRobert Gates, Navy Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the US Joint Chiefsof Staff.
In an interview to Express 24/7, a private Pakistani TV channel,Hillary Clinton says among other issues, a civilian nuclear deal willbe discussed.
Here are excerpts from that interview to Munizae Jehangir of Express 24/7.
On N-deal with Pakistan
Express 24/7: Pakistan has a lot of expectations from the strategic dialogue, and one of the expectations is that they are hoping to get a civilian nuclear deal similar to the one with India. Now, obviously one of the hindrances is going to be proliferation. But your administration has already vouched that we are no longer doing that. So, are we at least starting to have a dialogue, acknowledging Pakistan's nuclear programme?
Hillary Clinton: Well first let me wish everyone a happy National Day because I know this will air on Pakistan's National Day. Let me also say how pleased we are to have the first of our strategic dialogue meetings in Washington. We have a really broad agenda... and what we try to do in these strategic dialogues is to begin the hard work of sorting through all the different issues that are raised. I'm sure that that's going to be raised and we are going to be considering it but I can't pre-judge the...what the outcome of our discussions will be, except to say that this strategic dialogue is at the highest level we ever had between our two countries. We are very committed to it. We know whatever we do will take time. It's not the kind of commitment that you eagerly produce overnight or even within a year but it is important to get started, to sort it out and to develop the trust and confident between us and between all the people who work in our government because it's not just between me and Foreign Minister Qureshi, it's all the other people who do the work and we will be moving forward, we have our next session in future in Islamabad.
Express 24/7: The reason I asked the nuclear question is simply because we are having these power riots in Pakistan at the moment and we desperately need that kind of power and that help that was given to India. At the same time, our army feels there's a sense of unevenness after you signed the nuclear deal.
Hillary Clinton: Well, I can't speak for anyone else's impressions but that was the result of many, many years of strategic dialogue. It did not happen easily or quickly. And I think on the energy issue specifically, there are more immediate steps that can be taken that have to help with the grid, have to help with the other sources of energy, upgrade power plants and the like. And we are certainly looking at those and we want to help Pakistan with its immediate and long-term energy needs.