Remarks With Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Pakistan, Khurshid Mahmood Kasuri Before Their Meeting
Secretary Condoleezza Rice
Washington, DC
July 10, 2006
SECRETARY RICE: Good morning. I'm very pleased to welcome Foreign Minister Kasuri from Pakistan. We will have an
extensive discussion of our broad and deep strategic relationship with Pakistan. I was, as you know, just in Pakistan.
But this is an opportunity to have a more expanded discussion of the many issues in U.S.-Pakistani relations. After
we've had a chance to talk here, we will go upstairs for lunch and meet some members of our delegation. So welcome. It's
great to have you here.
FOREIGN MINISTER KASURI: Thank you. It's a great pleasure to be here and I entirely agree with the Secretary. We do have
a very broad and deep relationship and President Bush's recent visit to Pakistan further broadened it. And in fact now
we have an architecture for cooperation and I'm looking forward to discussing with Secretary Rice some of the details in
that -- detailed plan of action that will bring our countries further closer. Thank you.
QUESTION: Madame Secretary, there has apparently been an agreement between China and Japan that there will be a
postponement in the vote on the Japanese-sponsored resolution about North Korea in the UN Security Council. Does this
reflect a difficulty in trying to get that unified response that you've been talking about? If not, what should we think
it reflects?
SECRETARY RICE: Well, let's remember that we are in a significantly different position than we were several years ago
when the problem of North Korea was in very many ways an American problem. This is now clearly an issue for the
international community particularly for the five parties that have been a part of the six-party talks. We are
proceeding along multiple diplomatic fronts. We, of course, are having discussions in the Security Council about a very
important resolution to send a message to North Korea that it is not possible for it to continue in its current
behavior, the latest installment of which was the missile launch.
Yes, the Japanese have agreed that it would be wise to allow China some time to have the diplomatic mission that China
has launched to North Korea to perhaps take effect to see if the North Koreans can be convinced by the Chinese that it
is in time -- that it is indeed time to resume the six-party talks, that it is time to recommit to the September 19th
agreement that the six parties signed, and that they should return to the status quo ante and resume their moratorium on
missile launches. We've had very extensive and intensive diplomacy over this weekend and we believe, too, that this is
the best course because while we are in the Security Council, it is also important that China, in particular, which has
considerable influence with North Korea have this opportunity to let their diplomatic mission work. So that is what is
going on here.
QUESTION: Are the allies still committed to a resolution vote?
SECRETARY RICE: Well, the allies, the people who have put forward this resolution -- and by the way, there are a number
of cosponsors of this resolution -- believe very strongly that North Korea has to have a message from the international
community that their current course is destructive and will isolate them. But we do think that the Chinese mission to
North Korea has some promise and we would like to let that play out.
QUESTION: Days, not weeks?
SECRETARY RICE: Thank you. Thank you very much.
QUESTION: Madame Secretary, on Iraq, how concerned are you about the latest surge in violence. Does this mean that
Maliki's moment of opportunity is slipping away?
SECRETARY RICE: No one could have expected that just within weeks of coming to power that the Iraqi Government would
have been able to stop the violence and to completely address a difficult security situation. But this is a very active
campaign now with Iraqi security forces, with coalition security forces, fully supported and committed to by a unity
government that has the backing of the Iraqi people and there are determined killers there, determined people who really
do want to make life difficult and to arrest the democratic progress that Iraq is making. But I'm quite certain that the
combination of a strong government and the security forces that are now engaged in the security plan for Baghdad will be
able to bring this situation under control. Thank you. 2006/665
Released on July 10, 2006
ENDS