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Pakistan President Musharraf holds a joint press conference with Afghanistan President Karzai in Kabul September 6. (©AP Images)
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06 September 2006
Pakistani-Taliban Pact Part of Efforts To Secure Afghan Border, September 5, 2006(White House says cease-fire deal would not allow al-Qaida members to go free)
By Stephen Kaufman
Washington File White House Correspondent
Washington -- The Bush administration has been apprised of the Pakistani government’s September 5 cease-fire deal with tribal Taliban in north Waziristan on the country’s border with Afghanistan. The cease-fire is part of the Pakistani government’s efforts to eliminate extremism in the border areas, according to White House press secretary Tony Snow.
Snow told reporters September 6 that the cease-fire “is part of an integrated effort to bring security, political stability and economic development to Waziristan” by addressing “root causes” blocking development in those areas, which previously have not been governed by a central government.
The press secretary said the deal will not diminish efforts by the government of President Pervez Musharraf to apprehend and bring to justice al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden, and said neither bin Laden nor members of his organization would “get a free pass if they keep their noses clean” under the terms of the agreement.
He said the Pakistani government had clarified earlier comments by one of its military spokesmen that suggested bin Laden would not be taken into custody by its authorities if they had the opportunity to do so.
Pakistani Ambassador to the United States Mahmud Ali Durrani issued a September 5 statement that said, "If [bin Laden] is in Pakistan, today or any time later, he will be taken into custody and brought to justice."
Snow said that Musharraf government “has been very cooperative in helping track down members of al-Qaida,” and that under the terms of the cease-fire, “local tribal Taliban – not al-Qaida or Taliban operating in Afghanistan – have agreed not to shelter foreigners … and also have agreed not to allow cross border incursions into Afghanistan or to attack the military.”
The Bush administration does not believe reports that the cease-fire agreement “throws open the border area to al-Qaida,” saying that such a scenario “does not make sense for the government of Pakistan,” Snow said.
He added that the Bush administration wants to assist the Pakistani government in securing north Waziristan and in going after al-Qaida, and the administration believes the cease-fire “is consistent with those efforts.”
President Musharraf is currently in Afghanistan for talks with Afghan President Hamid Karzai. According to press reports, the two leaders are discussing the fight against the Taliban and terrorism in Afghanistan, as well as cooperation on Afghan reconstruction activities and economic relations.
For additional information on U.S. policy in the region, see Rebuilding Afghanistan.
