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AUSTRALIA - US Issue Communique: Talk Trade, Defense, DeNuke Korea, China and Pakistan -- all in a G'day

Australia-United States Ministerial Consultations
Joint Communiqué -- From Washington, DC, April 9, 2009

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, Minister for Foreign Affairs Stephen Smith, and Minister for Defence Joel Fitzgibbon met in Washington D.C. on April 9, 2009 to further the United States-Australia alliance and to discuss global and regional security issues. The talks marked the 24^th anniversary of the Australia-United States Ministerial Consultations (AUSMIN) and 58 years of strategic partnership under the ANZUS alliance.
The 2009 AUSMIN, the first such meeting under the Obama Administration, confirmed the strength and contemporary relevance of the U.S.-Australia alliance in strategic, security, military, and foreign policy fields. The discussions reaffirmed the commitment of both countries to work together closely to support their common interests and to achieve their shared objectives.

Global Security
The United States and Australia reaffirmed their commitment to stabilization and reconstruction efforts in Afghanistan. Noting the recently released Afghanistan and Pakistan strategic policy review undertaken by the United States in cooperation with allies, the two countries agreed on the importance of a comprehensive approach to regional challenges. They endorsed the Chairman’s Statement of the March 31 International Conference on Afghanistan in The Hague. The two countries agreed on the continuing priority attached to curbing the ability of al-Qaida and other terrorist groups to operate in the region. They reaffirmed their commitment to work together to give the Afghan people the means to secure their own future, particularly by building the capacity of the Afghan National Army and Police.

Follow Up to 'Obama Sings the Praises of INDIA's Prime Minister

In a nuclear age, at a time when perhaps the greatest enemy of both India
and Pakistan should be poverty  -- Obama

US President had a lot of praise for Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh while at the G-20 London Summit. A reader of TheTribune.com requested more info on 'what else Obama has said recently' about the Indian PM and the US-India Relationship:

OBAMA "India is a key partner of the United States in addressing a wide range of global economic and security challenges."

 “The United States sees India as a global power and a critical partner in helping to deal with the challenges of the 21st century — everything from climate change to poverty to trade to science and innovation.”

In a US State Dept. article, David McKeeby writes that 'Obama praised Singh’s role in the [G-20] proceedings, highlighting the prime minister’s background as an economist and former finance minister whose leadership has put India “along a path of extraordinary economic growth that is a marvel for all the world.” '

Focus on extremists on both sides of the Afghan - Pakistani border

US Afghan policy also takes a hard look at extremists in Pakistan. Here are some of the references to 'extremists' in a US Interagency Policy Report.

The United States has a vital national security interest in addressing the current and potential security threats posed by extremists in Afghanistan and Pakistan. In Pakistan, al Qaeda and other groups of jihadist terrorists are planning new terror attacks. Their targets remain the U.S. homeland, Pakistan, Afghanistan, India, Europe, Australia, our allies in the Middle East, and other targets of opportunity. The growing size of the space in which they are operating is a direct result of the terrorist/insurgent activities of the Taliban and related organizations. At the same time, this group seeks to reestablish their old sanctuaries in Afghanistan.
Therefore, the core goal of the U.S. must be to disrupt, dismantle, and defeat al Qaeda and its safe havens in Pakistan, and to prevent their return to Pakistan or Afghanistan...
The ability of extremists in Pakistan to undermine Afghanistan is proven, while insurgency in Afghanistan feeds instability in Pakistan. The threat that al Qaeda poses to the United States and our allies in Pakistan - including the possibility of extremists obtaining fissile material - is all too real. Without more effective action against these groups in Pakistan, Afghanistan will face continuing instability...
Increased assistance to Pakistan will be limited without a greater willingness to cooperate with us to eliminate the sanctuary enjoyed by al Qaeda and other extremist groups, as well as a greater commitment to economic reforms that will raise the living standard of ordinary Pakistanis, including in the border regions of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas, the North West Frontier Province, and Baluchistan...
Successfully shutting down the Pakistani safe haven for extremists will also require consistent and intensive strategic engagement with Pakistani leadership in both the civilian and military spheres. The engagement must be conducted in a way that respects, and indeed enhances, democratic civilian authority...
Assisting Pakistan's capability to fight extremists: It is vital to strengthen our efforts to both develop and operationally enable Pakistani security forces so they are capable of succeeding in sustained counterterrorism and counterinsurgency operations. In part this will include increased U.S. military assistance for helicopters to provide air mobility, night vision equipment, and training and equipment specifically for Pakistani Special Operation Forces and their Frontier Corps...
Asking for assistance from allies for Afghanistan and Pakistan: Our efforts are a struggle against forces that pose a direct threat to the entire international community. While reaching out to allies and partners for their political support, we should also ask them to provide the necessary resources to accomplish our shared objectives. They have the same interest in denying terrorists and extremists sanctuaries in Pakistan and Afghanistan that we do. In approaching allies we should emphasize that our new approach is integrated between civilian and military elements and in looking at Afghanistan and Pakistan as one theater for diplomacy...
This new strategy of focusing on our core goal - to disrupt, dismantle, and eventually destroy extremists and their safe havens within both nations, although with different tactics - will require immediate action, sustained commitment, and substantial resources.

From the White House release of: 'White Paper of the Interagency Policy Group's Report on
U.S. Policy toward Afghanistan and Pakistan'

US Strategy for Afghanistan and PAKISTAN -- What's New?

US Pres. Obama recently spoke, at length, about the status of the US presence in Afghanistan -- a speech which also put a heavy focus on Pakistan. Here's the new strategy / policy boiled down, as provided by the White House:

An Attainable Objective
On March 27, 2009, the President announced a comprehensive, new strategy for Afghanistan and Pakistan that is the culmination of a careful 60-day, interagency strategic review.  During the review process, we consulted with the Afghan and Pakistani governments, partners and NATO allies, other donors, international organizations and members of Congress. The strategy starts with a clear, concise, attainable goal: disrupt, dismantle, and defeat al Qaeda and its safe havens. The President’s new approach will be flexible and adoptive and include frequent evaluations of the progress being made. 
 
A Regional Approach
For the first time the President will treat Afghanistan and Pakistan as two countries but one challenge. Our strategy focuses more intensively on Pakistan than in the past, calling for more significant increases in U.S. and international support, both economic and military, linked to Pakistani performance against terror. We will pursue intensive regional diplomacy involving all key players in South Asia and engage both countries in a new trilateral framework at the highest levels. Together in this trilateral format, we will work to enhance intelligence sharing and military cooperation along the border and address common issues like trade, energy, and economic development.

Building Capacity and More Training
For three years, the resources that our commanders need for training have been denied because of the war in Iraq. Now, this will change. The 17,000 additional troops that the President decided in February to deploy have already increased our training capacity. Later this spring we will deploy approximately 4,000 more U.S. troops to train the Afghan National Security Forces so that they can increasingly take responsibility for the security of the Afghan people.

In the President’s strategy, for the first time we will fully resource our effort to train and support the Afghan National Army and Afghan National Police. Every American unit in Afghanistan will be partnered with an Afghan unit, and we will seek additional trainers from our NATO allies to ensure that every Afghan unit has a coalition partner.

Using All Elements of National Power
As the President said, a "campaign against extremism will not succeed with bullets or bombs alone." As a part of this strategy, we will devote significantly more resources to the civilian efforts in both Afghanistan and Pakistan. The President will submit a budget that includes indispensable investments in our State Department and foreign assistance programs. These investments relieve the burden on our troops and contribute directly to our safety and security. 

The Administration consulted with the Congress during our review and is committed to working closely together to provide the resources needed to carry out the strategy. The President supports the bipartisan bill co-sponsored by Senators Kerry and Lugar to authorize $1.5 billion a year in direct support to the Pakistani people over the next five years. He also calls on Congress to pass the bipartisan bill creating Reconstruction Opportunity Zones in Afghanistan and the border regions of Pakistan to develop the economy and bring hope to places plagued by violence.

Bringing new international elements to the effort
The President believes we need to provide more resources for the civilian aspects of the mission, working with the Afghan Government and all of our partners in NATO and the United Nations. As America does more, we will ask others to do join us in doing their part. Together with the United Nations, the Administration will forge a new Contact Group for Afghanistan and Pakistan that brings together all who should have a stake in the security of the region – our NATO allies and other partners, the Central Asian states, Gulf nations, Iran, Russia, India and China. All have a stake in the promise of lasting peace and security and development in the region.

US: Pakistan needs our help

US State Dept's assessment of the security situation in Pakistan: Our assessment has immediately been done on behalf of our U.S. staff who are in Lahore. We do not have reports of any Americans injured in these attacks. Reports are still coming in. Some of the details are unclear. Our Consulate in Lahore has sent out a Warden Message advising all Americans on how best to try and remain safe at this time.
I think the one thing that is evident is that Pakistan needs our help and international support in fighting terrorism that is trying to attack -- its not just police structures at this time, but really the Pakistani Government is threatened. This is an attack on Pakistan’s institutions. And the Pakistani people and the Pakistani Government need our assistance, and we stand ready to help them if we are able.

US: 'Pakistan back from the brink'.

Secy. Clinton was on the phone with Pakistani leaders over the weekend. Here are some comments about that process and the easing of tensions in Pakistan, from State Dept. Spokesman Robert Wood:

“Secretary wanted to make sure that Pakistani officials understood what our views were on the current situation and the importance of there not being any violence and the need for political dialogue. And that was the purpose of her phone calls. Frankly, what brought Pakistan back from the brink was, basically, decisions made by the Pakistani leadership. So this was basically decisions made by Pakistanis for Pakistanis. And they deserve all the credit…This was not something that the U.S. helped bring about...

...in terms of brink, I’m talking about from – potential of any political violence. And I know there was some over the weekend but it certainly could have been a lot worse were it not for the leadership of the Pakistani Government and the willingness of its people to, you know, take the steps necessary to back down from this crisis. And so, you know, it was a very difficult weekend. It was very politically charged. We’re all aware of that. But the important thing is that these steps were taken. The justices were reinstated. And the important thing now is to move forward, bringing about further reconciliation amongst Pakistanis and getting back to a real substantive political dialogue.