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Hillary sez US trying to understand Pakistan's intentions in Swat
Extremists pose a direct security threat to Pakistan and the US, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on Tuesday, and vowed to push for more 'balance and harmony' in conducting US foreign policy.

A day after Pakistan struck a deal to implement sharia in Swat, Hillary told reporters in Tokyo that her country was studying the agreement Islamabad had reached with the Taliban and trying to understand the Pakistani government's 'intention and the actual agreed-upon language'. "Activity by the extremist elements in Pakistan poses a direct threat to the government of Pakistan as well as to the security of the US, Afghanistan and a number of other nations [beyond the] ... immediate region," said Hillary.

US President Barack Obama is pressing Pakistan to root out the Taliban, and recently sent envoy Richard Holbrooke to the region to review US strategy in the war on terror.

Alluding to the preceding Bush administration's stress on military power, Hillary told a gathering at the US embassy in Tokyo that President Barack Obama's administration sought to balance defence, diplomacy and development. "We do talk about the three Ds ... defence, diplomacy, development," said Hillary, on her first trip abroad as the chief US diplomat. "We happen to think they go together. If one gets out of proportion to the others, our policies and our role in the world gets a little out of balance," said the US secretary of state.

"I was talking to the head priest who told me about the importance of balance and harmony," she said after a visit early on Tuesday to a Shinto shrine. "We need to be looking to create more balance, more harmony. We are going to be reaching out to friends and allies," she said.

State Department:
Spokesman Gordon K Duguid said, "As I understand, Islamic law is within the constitutional framework of Pakistan, so I don't know that is particularly an issue for anyone outside of Pakistan to discuss."
Meanwhile, the US Statement Department on Tuesday reacted cautiously to the Swat agreement, saying it was in contact with the Pakistani government to know about the details of the strategy. "We are in touch with the government in Pakistan, we are discussing the issue, but that is all I have for you at the moment," said a State Department spokesman.

Spokesman Gordon K Duguid said, "As I understand, Islamic law is within the constitutional framework of Pakistan, so I don't know that is particularly an issue for anyone outside of Pakistan to discuss."

Pressed if Washington saw the agreement as a good or bad development, he said, "We have seen these sorts of actions before, what is important is that we are all working together to fight terrorism."
Posted by: Fred 2009-02-18
http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=262813