‘Pakistan to support new Iraq resolution’
By Khalid Hasan WASHINGTON: Pakistan signalled to the United States on Wednesday that it will back a new resolution on disarming Iraq, according to an exclusive report in the Los Angeles Times. The report described it as “a major boost from an Islamic nation that could help swing wavering votes on the Security Council,” quoting US and Pakistani officials. Daily Times was unable to obtain confirmation of the reported decision from officials at Pakistan’s permanent mission to the United Nations. “We are very good allies of the United States and value our relationship and want to see that blossom,” a senior Pakistani official told the Los Angeles Times. “The issue of Iraq will not become a problem between us.” “Pakistan’s decision came as Mexico also signalled its potential backing, and as the United States intensified the diplomatic squeeze for key votes from the council’s African and Latin American members. US diplomats hope that building up a bloc of support will put pressure on France and Russia not to veto the resolution, which would allow the use of force against Iraqi President Saddam Hussein,” said the Los Angeles Times report. Pakistan’s private signal of potential support could mark a turning point, US officials said Wednesday. Besides adding an important vote, its critical decision could prevent any move to create a bloc among the 10 rotating members of the council. Six of the 10, including Pakistan, have discussed group abstention, which would cause a resolution to fail if the permanent members can’t find common ground. The intention, they have said, would be to preserve the council’s moral authority. The report said that the decision has not been easy for Islamabad, which has favoured giving the process more time and working through the United Nations. The government, already struggling to control anti-American sentiment, could face a popular backlash for supporting further action perceived to be against Islam. “We have public opinion very exercised about the plight of the Iraqi people, and we wouldn’t like them to suffer any more. But we have a firm position that Iraq must comply with the Security Council and Resolution 1441 and divest itself of weapons of mass destruction,” the senior Pakistani official who was not identified told the newspaper, referring to the November resolution that returned inspectors to Iraq. “It’ll help us politically to have UN inspectors come back and say Iraq is in final material breach,” a second official said. “But will the [Pakistani] government fall if this does not happen? No. A lot of American flags are being burnt, but we can weather that,” he added. The report noted that the economic backlash is a greater immediate concern in Islamabad, Pakistanis say. About 70 percent of Pakistan’s imported oil comes from the nearby Persian Gulf, mainly Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Iraq. Instability in the region could have severe repercussions, and Pakistan would need help if the supply were cut off. “We don’t have Venezuela and Mexico nearby to back us up,” the second Pakistani official said. Despite the potential political and economic cost to the government, Pakistani officials insisted that the United States did not offer President Pervez Musharraf any deals in exchange for his country’s vote. “We are not asking any price for our support. The US has not leaned on us. We have a principled position. We’re aware of each other’s point of view and agreed on what Iraq has to do,” the senior official said. The report said that the United States has been pressing its case in frequent contacts, and in the context of the importance of Iraq in Islamabad’s long-term relationship with Washington, according to other Pakistani sources. “The issue was not framed in terms of merely, ‘Are you with us or against us?’ It was more like, ‘Just how with us are you?’” said an additional Pakistani source.