The White House is focused today on two areas in the Middle East where President Bush's "freedom agenda" is facing huge obstacles.
This afternoon, Mr. Bush is meeting with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the Oval Office to talk about Kurdish terrorists in southern Turkey and northern Iraq, as well as to smooth over relations after an ill-timed symbolic vote in Congress last month that insulted the Turks.
At the end of that meeting, when reporters will be ushered into the Oval Office for comments from both leaders, Mr. Bush will issue his first remarks about Pakistan.
Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf declared a state of emergency on Saturday and assumed military control of his country, saying that Islamic militants had become too much of a threat. He also took over the country's supreme court.
Gen. Musharraf rounded up dissidents over the weekend and has shut down independent news coverage.
"The government of the United States is deeply disturbed," White House press secretary Dana Perino said this morning. "We cannot support emergency rule or the extreme measures taken."
"The best option is for Pakistan to get back on its path to democracy," Mrs. Perino said. "They had been on the path to democracy. This is obviously a setback."
— Jon Ward, White House correspondent, The Washington Times
Comments (1)
This may be a good opportunity to build stronger relations with India. I would imagine that India is quite concerned at the possibility of Muslim fundamentalists (especially the Taliban and al Qaeda) taking over in Pakistan, which is not only a nuclear power but is also on their very own border. India could be convinced that the never-ending instability in Pakistan is a very good reason to build stronger ties to both the West and the United States. India has also been the victim of al Qaeda bombing attacks, so they probably won't need much convincing that a Pakistan ruled by Muslim fundamentalists is going to be extremely dangerous to them. This moment of turmoil in Pakistan may give us an opportunity to convince India that its future lies with the West and that nonalignment is not much of a global strategy anymore.
Posted by Libertyship46 | November 6, 2007 10:50 AM