Rocca visits Afghan refugee camps

By B. Muralidhar Reddy

ISLAMABAD, AUG. 1. The U.S. Assistant Secretary to South Asia, Ms. Christina Rocca, today visited Afghan refugee camps in Peshawar for a first-hand assessment of their plight and assure them of all possible help from U.S. even as Pakistan maintained that as a responsible member of United Nations it would extend all cooperation in the work of the `monitoring mechanism' on sanctions against Afghanistan.

The decision of Ms. Rocca to visit the largest Afghan refugee camp on the outskirts of Peshawar is significant in view of the growing perception among the people of Pakistan as well as Afghanistan that America has `abandoned' them after the collapse of the Soviet Union.

Ms. Rocca is scheduled to meet the Afghan Ambassador in Pakistan, Mulla Abdul Saleem Zaeef, here tomorrow for a free and frank exchange of views. She is expected to reiterate the U.S. concern over the continuous presence of Osama Bin Laden in Afghanistan and underline the need for the Taliban to hand him over for trial in the cases against him.

The Taliban Ambassador could only be expected to use the opportunity to explain the viewpoint of Afghanistan on Osama and other concerns of the international community. The complaint of Taliban has been that neither the U.S. nor the international community has bothered to respond to any of the proposals it has made so far on resolution of the Osama issue.

The Taliban regime in Afghanistan is also agitated over the latest decision of the United Nations Security Council to establish a mechanism designed to monitor and enforce the international arms embargo against it. The UN intends to appoint international observers to keep track of the terrorist training camps and fight the drug trade.

The resolution proposed by Colombia, at the behest of U.S. and Russia, calls for a five-member monitoring group in New York to oversee enforcement and 15 experts in the field, mainly in Pakistan, to help neighbouring countries to prevent arms smuggling.

The decision has evoked sharp reaction from the Taliban. It renewed its threat to treat the UN sanction monitors as `enemies on the frontline'. A Foreign Ministry official of the Taliban has been quoted as saying that the monitors would be dealt with as foreign invaders in line with a decree from Taliban leader, Mullah Mohammad Omar.

In another development, Pakistani papers have reported that in her meeting with the Pakistani military ruler and President, Gen. Pervez Musharraf, on Tuesday, Ms. Rocca told him that lifting of U.S. sanctions against Pakistan is linked to restoration of democracy.

She is also believed to have apprised him about the U.S. concerns over Pakistan's support to Islamic militant groups in Kashmir and Afghanistan.

Pakistan currently faced three-tier U.S. sanctions, which related to its nuclear programme as well as against the October 1999 military coup by Gen. Musharraf. Pakistan consistently expressed concern over reports that the Bush administration contemplated lifting nuclear sanctions against India, which were imposed after the 1998 nuclear tests.

Gen. Musharraf has urged U.S. not to follow a `differentiated' policy in lifting sanctions against India and Pakistan. Ms. Rocca has reportedly told the General that Bush administration wants to follow an independent policy towards India and Pakistan.

The Agra summit also figured prominently in the Rocca-Musharraf talks during which the Pakistan President reportedly reiterated his commitment to resolve all outstanding bilateral issues including the Kashmir issue though negotiations.

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Section  : International
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