BACKGROUND PRESS CALL
BY A SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL
ON THE VISIT OF PRIME MINISTER KHAN OF PAKISTAN
Via Telephone
July 19, 2019
4:31 P.M. EDT
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: Yes, this is [senior administration official]. The ground rules for this call are that this a background call attributed to a senior administration official.
As mentioned, we'll have brief remarks by [senior administration official] and then a moderated Q&A at the end on this upcoming visit. We do ask that you embargo your reporting until the end of the call.
So now I will turn it over to [senior administration official]. Thank you.
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: So, as many of you know, on Monday, July 22, President Trump will welcome Prime Minister Imran Khan of Pakistan to the White House. The visit will focus on strengthening cooperation between the United States and Pakistan to bring peace, stability, and economic prosperity to the region.
President Trump and Prime Minister Khan will discuss a range of issues, including counterterrorism, defense, energy, and trade, with the overall goal of creating the conditions for a peaceful South Asia and an enduring partnership between our two countries.
This is an official working visit which will involve the President greeting Prime Minister Khan upon his arrival. There'll be a pool spray in the Oval followed by a bilateral meeting between the two leaders, and then there'll be an expended -- expanded, excuse me -- bilateral luncheon meeting that will include a number of Cabinet and other senior officials, including Secretary Mnuchin, Secretary Ross, Secretary Perry, Acting Secretary of Defense Spencer, Deputy National Security Advisor Kupperman, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs General Dunford, Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs David Hale, Acting Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney, Senior Advisor to the President Jared Kushner, and Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham.
The purpose of the visit is to press for concrete cooperation from Pakistan to advance the Afghanistan peace process and to encourage Pakistan to deepen and sustain its recent effort to crackdown on militants and terrorists within its territory.
We also want to message to Pakistan that the door is open to repairing relations and building an enduring partnership if Pakistan changes its policies with regard to terrorists and militants.
Extending a visit to Prime Minister Khan is an opportunity to incentivize Pakistan to use its full leverage and influence with the Taliban to advance the peace process in Afghanistan. So we are calling on Pakistan for assistance in moving the peace process forward.
We do appreciate the initial steps that Pakistan has taken to facilitate peace efforts, but we are reaching a critical juncture in the peace process and we are asking Pakistan to pressure the Taliban into a permanent ceasefire and participation in inter-Afghan negotiations that would include the Afghan government.
Discussions with Pakistan will also include potential cooperation on trade, energy, and women's issues that will provide mutual benefits to our two countries. We want to send that message that the door is open, as I mentioned before.
There are promising developments on -- with regard to U.S.-Pakistan agricultural and energy cooperation. For instance, U.S. soy bean exports to Pakistan surged from zero in 2011 to nearly 620 million in 2018. And U.S. companies like General Electric are incorporating their technologies, such as on wind, hydro, gas, and steam projects into energy projects that are throughout the country.
We are looking at opportunities, such as the possibility of a reverse trade mission for Pakistan on LNG supply and natural gas infrastructure. We would also look at opportunities for an energy dialogue to advance U.S. energy-related commercial interests in Pakistan and increase private sector investment in Pakistan's energy sector.
Lastly, we would encourage Pakistan to create opportunities for enhancing regional economic development and connectivity. For example, we would encourage Pakistan to ease restrictions on trade, transiting Pakistan between India and Afghanistan. And we think this would be a very positive step and would demonstrate Pakistan's commitment to a peaceful, prosperous South Asia.
I'm going to end my remarks there, and I look forward to taking your questions.
Q Yes, hello, my name is Alexei Alexey Bogdanovskiy. I’m a reporter with RIA Novosti, Russian News Agency. My question is, will the leaders discuss the case of Shakil Afridi, Pakistani physician who reportedly helped the United States to identify Osama bin Laden and who's serving a lengthy prison term in Pakistan? Thank you.
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: Yes, thank you. Yes, this is an extremely important issue to the President and to the American people. And I think Pakistan could demonstrate its leadership role in the region and among the international community by freeing Dr. Afridi, who remains unjustly imprisoned in Pakistan.
The United States requests that he be freed at once. We have clearly and regularly communicated this to Pakistan at the highest levels, both in public and in private, and will continue to do so until he is released.
Pakistan’s leadership will be judged by its treatment of Dr. Afridi while he remains in prison. But again, we are calling on Pakistan to release him at once.
Q Hi, this is James Rosen with the Sinclair Broadcast Group. Thanks for doing this call. Historically, senior American officials, dating back decades, have complained that the Pakistani intelligence service, ISI, has been effectively infiltrated by the very terrorist elements which Pakistan is supposed to be our ally in combating. How would you assess that particular problem presently, and in terms of infiltration of ISI?
And what else would you tell us -- are there any new details you can provide about the apprehension of the LeT leader by Pakistani authorities? Thank you.
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: Okay, thank you. Well, I think that, you know, it’s clear that we do have some cooperation between our intelligence services, particularly on groups like ISIS-K and al Qaeda. But we do remain concerned about other terrorist groups that continue to operate within Pakistan, such as the Jaish-e-Mohammed, Lashkar-e-Taiba, the Haqqani Network -- which, of course, is fighting in Pakistan. And we do -- we are concerned about the links between these groups and Pakistan’s intelligence services and military. That’s no secret.
What I would say as we look forward, we welcome Prime Minister Khan’s pledge that Pakistan will not allow its soil to be used by militant groups, and his vocal leadership in pressing for a new direction in this regard.
But we -- let me reassure you, we are clear eyed about the history here. We’re under no illusions about the support that we have seen from Pakistan’s military and intelligence services to these groups. And so we will look for concrete action.
I noted that Pakistan has taken some initial steps, such as pledging to seize assets of some of these terrorists groups. And, of course, they put under arrest, yesterday, Hafiz Muhammad Saeed, a leader of Lashkar-e-Taiba, which is responsible for the 2008 Mumbai terrorist attacks.
But I would note that this is, I thinl, the seventh time that Hafiz Muhammad Saeed has been arrested since 2001. In 2001, there was major attack on the Indian Parliament -- in December of 2001 -- and so he was put under arrest, first right after that attack, but, of course, subsequently released.
That is why we, again, are very clear-eyed and (inaudible) when we see him arrested -- as he was yesterday -- that he has been released -- arrested and released in the past. So we would look to see that Pakistan is taking sustained action and actually prosecuting these people; that these arrests are actually contributing to reducing groups like LeT to be able to operate in Pakistan, because quite frankly, the previous arrests of Hafiz Muhammad Saeed haven’t made a difference. The LeT has been able to operate.
So, you know, we’re monitoring the situation and -- but we wouldn’t want to praise Pakistan for this step too early, because, you know, we’ve seen this movie before. We’ve seen this happen in the past. And we’re looking for sustained and concrete steps, not just window dressing.
Q Yeah. Hi. This is Yashwant, from -- Yashwant Raj from Hindustan Times. Thanks for doing this call.
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: Hi, Yashwant.
Q Hi. So, could the discussions include the resumption of security-related aid that President Trump suspended from Pakistan, I think, in January 2018?
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: As you know, we suspended security assistance to Pakistan in January of 2018. And as of now, there's been no change to that policy. That security assistance continues to be suspended. So there's no change in that regard -- so, you know, with only very minor exceptions for assistance that is directly beneficial to United States security.
But, you know, by and large, that security is still suspended and we will consider changing that suspension on certain items if Pakistan meets our security concerns both in Afghanistan and with regard to some of the externally focused groups like Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed.
But, as of now, there is no change to that suspension in security assistance.
Q Hi. Thank you for doing this call. My name is Lalit Jha from PTI -- Press Trust of India. What makes you so encouraged that, this time, that Pakistan is going to change its policy which has been there with them for the last several decades?
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: Well, again, I think we're very clear-eyed on the history of Pakistan's cooperation with these unhelpful groups. And so we're not under any illusion that the initial steps that we have seen taken thus far -- you know, we're not taking them at face value. We will wait. We're monitoring the situation. We will wait and see if these steps are made irreversible and sustainable.
So, you know, we have not made a final evaluation on whether that's the case. But, you know, we also see that this visit could incentivize Pakistan to continue down the path that they have started. They have facilitated contacts with the Taliban and, you know, met some of our requests with regards to the Afghanistan peace process.
But, as I said, we're at a critical juncture and we need to see more cooperation from Pakistan. They need to use their full leverage with the Taliban in this endeavor. And so we see this visit as an opportunity to encourage them to do more.
Q (Inaudible.) My question is, do you expect any announcements or a deal between the two countries?
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: Well, I think that, you know, this should be seen as a -- you know, this is the first time they'll be meeting, getting to know each other. I would look at it more, you know, as a rapport-building meeting. They will have an opportunity -- as I mentioned, the broader bilateral luncheon that will include other members of the Cabinet, they'll have an opportunity to discuss how they might move forward in the energy relationship, some of the trade activities that are happening. So in terms of moving forward on those kinds of initiatives, I think there may be an opportunity.
And again, you know, from the U.S. perspective, the President will be most interested in encouraging Pakistan to assist in the Afghanistan peace process, use its leverage with the Taliban to help bring about a ceasefire and genuine inter-Afghan negotiation that include the Afghan government. So, in that respect, you know, we're hoping that the discussions are productive.
Q Hi. This is Hunter Walker from Yahoo! News. Thanks for doing the call. I know you're saying you want to see greater progress from Pakistan when it comes to fighting terrorism. Overall, would you say that, since Prime Minister Khan has arrived, there has been an improvement on that front?
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: Well, again, we have seen some initial steps with Pakistan pledging to seize the assets of some of these terrorist leaders and with pledging to reform the madrassas -- some of the madrassas -- taking an administrative control of some of the facilities owned by these groups.
And you know, the stated commitment by Prime Minister Khan -- you know, Prime Minister Khan himself said that Pakistan cannot reach its full potential unless it has peace and stability in the region. And, of course, peace and stability in the region would require it to crack down on the terrorist and militant groups that are creating the instability.
So, I think Khan is saying the right things. But what we really need to see to prove that this is something different are, you know, actual arrests and convictions, as well as evictions of those Taliban and Haqqani leaders who don't support peace.
So, I think only until we see those kinds of steps will we really have more reassurance that what Pakistan is doing now is different than what it's done in the past.
Q Hi, this is Seema Sirohi from Economic Times. Thank you for doing this. I wanted to ask, what is your assessment, so far, of the peace process? Taliban attacks have continued. In fact, they are even targeting children now. So, how -- or what do you think, how far has the process come? And what kind of guarantees are there, so far, about Afghanistan not becoming a staging ground again? Because, for India, that would be an extremely important thing.
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: Well, as you know, Ambassador Khalilzad is involved in intensive negotiations with the Taliban and with other actors in the region and with the Afghan government and other Afghans, as well, to try to bring about a peaceful settlement that would not only, you know, preserve the gains that have been made over the last 18 years with regard to democratic rights, women's rights -- you know, all those things that we have been building in the country over the last 18 years -- but also that would ensure Pakistan -- or I'm sorry, Afghanistan never again serves as a safe haven for terrorist intent on attacking the U.S. and its partners. So, there has been a great deal of effort put into this process.
I would say that the July 7-8 talks in Doha, which included the Taliban and about 60 Afghans -- including some members of the Afghan government who were participating in their private capacity -- but the fact that we did have the Taliban sitting down with Afghans, which included members of the government, I would say that's a step forward. A small step, but I think it was a step forward in the process.
But completely agree with you that these continued Taliban attacks are absolutely unacceptable and they make it much more difficult to move this process forward. And, you know, we have called on the Taliban to immediately halt such attacks. And we -- in the negotiations, they have been told that the continuation of these attacks will disrupt the peace process, and they'll make it harder for anything to be accomplished that the Taliban is looking for out of the peace process.
So, yeah, the current attacks are not compatible with a productive peace process.
Q Hello again. This is, again, Alexey of RIA Novosti. Russia wants to build pipelines to export natural gas from Iran to India, through Pakistan. And Russia has signed a memorandum with Iran and Pakistan and hopefully will sign -- hopefully, for them, to sign a memorandum with India. So I wondered if the administration has a position on this issue. Thank you.
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: So, you know, we're looking for opportunities for economic trade and connectivity throughout the region. We think that will foster a more peaceful, prosperous region.
You know, we're looking to Pakistan to allow transit trade through Pakistan, between India and Afghanistan. We're looking at ways for Pakistan and Afghanistan to increase their trade with each other. And you know, as I said in the discussions, we'll be looking at some of those opportunities in how the U.S. can support those activities.
So, you know, those are the kinds of things that we're looking at. We welcome regional support to the peace process and efforts by other countries to promote regional trade and connectivity. So I think, you know, to the extent that these projects are fostering peace and prosperity in the region, and as long they're transparent, they're being done in a transparent way that is benefitting those involved, the U.S. would be supportive.
But, you know, we point out that we oppose any kind of unsustainable development projects that would impose unreasonable costs that are not transparent. We would look to any projects to apply the highest international standards of transparency and governance, making maximum use of local workers and materials.
And we would just note that we do remain concerned about countries getting over indebted when the lending process is not transparent. And so we would just caution against any projects that don’t follow the highest standards of international standards.
Q Hi guys, it’s Margaret Talev with Bloomberg. Can you hear me, okay?
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: Yes.
Q Oh, great. Huawei has just announced that it is going to invest like $100 million in Pakistan. Is Huawei going to come up in the discussions? And what is the U.S. ask? And would U.S. consider resuming aid if Pakistan agreed to not do that? Or, basically, has that ship sailed?
And on the Afridi question: What is the issue? Like, he is one doctor in a jail. Why doesn’t the U.S. just make some arrangement and get him out of there? Is there any movement on that?
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: Okay, so, first -- I’ll take your first question, which was about Huawei and China. And, you know, I would just note that, again, that the U.S. would probably just encourage Pakistan to protect its own sovereignty and independence, and just ensure that, you know -- we know that China has already invested quite a bit in the China-Pakistan economic corridor.
And, you know, we just would ensure that Pakistan understands that this lending should be transparent and that they should make sure they’re not getting over-indebted to China, which would, of course, have implications for their sovereignty and independence. So we remain concerned on that front.
And, you know, with regard to Huawei: I think we made clear that, you know, countries should keep in mind all of the implications of their economic transactions, and particularly when it comes to the 5G network, and think about, you know, the implications for the future and what is that for them, and preserving their own economic independence and protecting their communications and information accordingly.
Okay, and --
OPERATOR: Moving to the final -- moving to --
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: -- yes, okay. I’m sorry. I’m just going to address the Afridi question.
So, as you know, Dr. Afridi is a hero in our country. He helped us capture the mastermind of the 9/11 attacks -- the worst terrorist leader in history, Osama bin Laden. So, you know, this is something that is of the utmost importance to us. And as I said, you know, it is likely to come up. It’s an issue that remains very (inaudible). And we, you know, think that he’s been unjustly imprisoned.
And I’m not sure what you quite meant about -- you know, he’s in a Pakistani prison. We can’t really, you know, get him out of there without, you know -- we have to respect their judiciary and their institutions. But it’s something that we will continue to raise. And as I said, they will be judged by how he is treated. And we’ll continue to raise his release until he is given his freedom.
Q Thanks. This is Eli Lake from Bloomberg Opinion. I just wanted to ask if anything about the recent crackdowns on press freedoms and opposition leaders in Pakistan are going to be brought up in the meeting with the President and in the bilateral lunch.
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: Yes, it’s very important to us that Pakistan respects its democratic institutions. And the recent curtailment on press freedoms is of great concern to us.
You know, we are continuing to raise these issues. Pakistan, obviously, has a diverse media landscape, but we continue to see pressure and intimidation against journalists, which is not acceptable. And it’s actually increased over the past year.
So we’re very concerned about these trends, and we believe a free press is fundamental to any democratic system. So we’ll continue to press on this issue with the Pakistan government and ensuring that journalists are protected from violence and intimidation.
And, you know, this also relates to the deregistering of the INGOs -- the 18 INGOs that Pakistan deregistered last year. And, you know, many of these INGOs, international NGOs, were providing valuable aid and assistance. And we think that the impacts of deregistering them will have a deleterious impact on their democratic institutions and civil society. So we’re monitoring that situation closely as well.
And we will continue to engage with Pakistani officials on these concerns.
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: Thank you everybody for joining us. This concludes the call.
END 5:02 P.M. EDT
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