ID :
59233
Wed, 05/06/2009 - 16:19
Auther :

Zardari for fresh dialogue after Indian elections

Lalit K Jha

Washington, May 6 (PTI) Wanting peace with India,
Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari has said he is awaiting
the formation of a new government in New Delhi to start a
"fresh dialogue" with it.

"Democracies have never gone to war. No Pakistan
democratic government has gone to war with India. We've always
wanted peace. We still want peace with India. We want a
commercial relationship with them," Zardari said.

"I'm waiting for the (Indian general) elections to be
over so that all of this rhetoric is over and I can start a
fresh dialogue with the Indian government," Zardari told the
CNN in an interview on Tuesday.

Zardari arrived in Washington on Monday to participate
in a trilateral summit with Afghan President Hamid Karzai and
US President Barack Obama on Wednesday. The trilateral
meetings are expected to continue till Thursday.

Obama is expected to do some tough talking with his
Pakistani counterpart on the need to take firm action to rein
in extremists and also tell Islamabad to shed its "obsession"
of viewing India as a "mortal threat".

The trilateral summit is an initiative of Obama, who
wants to establish his own channel of direct communication
with the leaders of Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Zardari said: "I'm looking at the markets of India for
industrialists of Pakistan and hoping to do the same,"

With concerns mounting in the US and the world over the
safety of Pakistan's nuclear arsenal, Zardari also asserted
that the atomic weapons were safe and secure.

"Nothing should concern anybody as far as nuclear
arsenal or other instruments of such sort," Zardari said,
adding that he has complete authority over the Army and the
intelligence agency ISI.

Zardari also said that he wants drones to be part of his
arsenal so that he could effectively use them in the fight
against terrorists in the country.

"I need drones to be part of my arsenal. I need that
facility. I need that equipment. I need that to be my police
arrangement," Zardari told the CNN.

Pakistan has objected to US misile attacks inside the
country and has asked Washington to provide it the drones and
the technology to use them. The US has so far not agreed to
the demand. PTI

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