Germany will help Pakistan to solve the financial crisis

ISLAMABAD: German Deputy Chancellor and Foreign Minister Dr Frank-Walter Steinmeier has said that Germany is committed to solving the economic and financial crisis faced by Pakistan, and long-term friends of Pakistan, like Germany, would like to make a concerted contribution to the country’s economic and political stabilisation. In an exclusive interview to The News, the German foreign minister also said militancy in Pakistan could be reduced by providing jobs to uneducated youth of the troubled areas. “You will not stop al-Qaeda by drilling a well, but you might help reduce militant opposition if you provide job prospects to the young and uneducated in the border region between Afghanistan and Pakistan,” he said.

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America haters back then and now: The foreign minister is visiting Pakistan with a big delegation of economic experts and businessmen. He will meet President Asif Ali Zardari and Shah Mehmud Qureshi in Islamabad on Tuesday and some important announcements are expected. Following is the transcript of his interview: Q: What brings you to Pakistan, Sir? FM: My country has an interest in Pakistan’s stabilisation and sustainable development. The situation in Pakistan at the moment is not easy. Germany would like to assist the Pakistanis and the newly elected democratic government during this difficult time. We would like to help solve the short-term problems Pakistan is facing, namely security threats due to terrorism and violence, and the economic and financial crisis the country finds itself in. Long-term, in the interest of Pakistan, we would like to contribute to strengthening the rule of law, human rights and civil society as a whole. Q: Germany is a member of the new group of “Friends of a Democratic Pakistan” -- what role does this group has to play in the coming days? FM: I personally worked to help establish this group of long-term friends. Its establishment sends a sincere message to Pakistan that the international community would like to make a concerted contribution to the country’s economic and political stabilisation. But the Group of Friends will not be an all-purpose tool. The major international finance organisations such as the Asian Development Bank, the World Bank and not least the International Monetary Fund have a decisive role to play here. The Group of Friends also looks to the region. That is why it is especially important that, for instance, a number of Gulf states are members of the Group. The Gulf region has a special responsibility here. I will also be visiting that region on this trip. Q: The first Bonn Conference on Afghanistan in 2001 announced several goals for stabilising Afghanistan, do you see any progress for the achievement of those goals in Afghanistan in the last 6 years? FM: In Bonn, we launched the largest reconstruction campaign the international community has undertaken since the end of the Second World War. Even if we haven’t yet achieved all of our goals, we have made a lot of progress over the last six years. Here I’m talking about roads and health care, about education and job opportunities for young people. I’m also talking about Afghans having a say through parliament. Finally, the country can begin to regain hope for the future. We all need to work together to achieve this. The vast majority of Afghans know that occupation is not what we have in mind! We will only maintain a military presence in the country until the Afghans are again able to assume full responsibility for their security. Q: Being prominently involved in Afghanistan, do you agree with some experts that it is now time to talk to the Taliban in Afghanistan because the west cannot win against the Taliban by military means? What is your reaction to some reports regarding indirect talks between the Karzai administration and the Taliban in Saudi Arabia? I would caution against interpreting readiness to enter into a dialogue as a sign of weakness! On the basis of the Afghan constitution, talks with forces that are prepared to forego violence and terror can well be part of an intra-Afghan reconciliation process. Bearing in mind past experiences and knowledge of the Taliban’s close contacts to al-Qaeda, one might be less than optimistic, but in the end the responsibility lies with the Afghan government. What is important to me is that the successes of reconstruction are not jeopardised by such talks. I share this view with the United Nations and am thankful that the Afghan government has also taken this position. Q: During the G-8 presidency last year, you launched a G-8 initiative to promote cooperation between Afghanistan and Pakistan. Where does that stand? This is what I am asking my Pakistan and Afghan friends! Pak-Afghan cooperation cannot be engineered from outside or forced upon from abroad. It depends on the willingness of both Pakistanis and Afghans to take on a sense of ownership for a common future. We can only provide assistance. Beginning with our G-8 meeting in Potsdam, near Berlin, last year, the G-8 has proposed more than 150 projects to promote better bilateral cooperation, from student exchanges to border controls. One of the aims of my visit is to discuss how we can also strengthen the political and regional dimension of the initiative. I welcome the fact that both President Karzai and President Zardari have recently made it clear that increased bilateral cooperation is not only desirable, but absolutely crucial. I’m counting on both sides to intensify their bilateral cooperation—Germany and the G-8 as a whole stand ready to assist. Q: Will you support any talks by the Pakistan government with the militants in Fata? This is, first of all, a decision for the Pakistani government to take. The situation is complex, and it is not my government’s place to advise our Pakistani friends on such an issue. But we welcome the clear words by President Zardari and both houses of Pakistan parliament in this regard. However, government decisions are only one side of the coin. I’m under the impression that the population in Pakistan is tired of militants, whether foreign or local. And only if the government and local populations work together will the militants learn that they are not welcome in Pakistan. Q: What are the major achievements in the war against terror? Is the west winning the war against terrorism since Sept 11, 2001 in Iraq and Afghanistan? I am not a friend of this wording because it suggests that terror can be defeated by military means alone. It is clear that Germany and its partners have a common interest in protecting themselves from the threat of international terrorism. But we shouldn’t simplify things: there are numerous threats that require careful strategies. You will not stop al-Qaeda by drilling a well, but you might help reduce militant opposition if you provide job prospects to the young and uneducated in the border region between Afghanistan and Pakistan. Q: Don’t you think that the presence of foreign troops in Iraq and Afghanistan has increased misunderstandings between ordinary Muslims and the west? We are not naive. Foreign troops are not welcomed by all parts of the population. But the vast majority of Afghans support the security assistance provided by the west. They understand that it is not occupation we strive for, but rather a self-sustaining Afghan security sector that would make a foreign presence superfluous and allow peaceful development. And let me underline that we have never defined the issue at stake here as a problem between “Muslims” and “the west”. We oppose militant extremism, not Islam. Terrorism is immoral—no matter what apparently divine will it claims to serve! Terrorism diminishes development perspectives for all. I know that we share this view with Pakistan and the millions of the Pakistanis looking for a better future. Q: How do you assess the bilateral relations between Germany and Pakistan? Where will we stand when you come back next time? We are on a promising path! What most people think of first are business relations and political dialogue. And rightly so, as Germany is Pakistan’s most important EU trading partner and considering that the number of Pakistani exhibitors at German trade fairs is steadily increasing. The experience we have had with MACRO is also a success: MACRO has recently opened two wholesale centres in Lahore and Islamabad and is planning to open several more across Pakistan. I hope that other German companies will follow this example. Going beyond business, few people know that Germans also have a strong interest in Asia’s cultural heritage. For example, one of the most prestigious museums in Germany—the Bundeskunsthalle in Bonn—will host an exhibition on Gandhara Art in November. And the German cultural presence in Pakistan has been greatly expanded recently—we have established institutions such as the Goethe-Institute in Karachi or the Annemarie Schimmel House in Lahore. Education is also of particular value to us. We are establishing a worldwide network of schools that offer German as a foreign language, including schools in Pakistan. Currently, more than 100 students from Pakistan start or continue higher education studies at German universities every year. We wish to expand this further. And finally, plans to open a German-Pakistan Technical University in Lahore are well under way. So I hope the fruits of all of these efforts will be evident upon my next visit.