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Victoria Nuland
Spokesperson
Daily Press Briefing
Washington, DC
January 19, 2012

Extracts on Pakistan

QUESTION: Yeah, on Pakistan. We have reports out of Pakistan that they have agreed to reopen supply routes toward the Afghan enterprise, although they may be applying tariffs to stuff going through. I’m just wondering if they’ve told you anything about that and if you have any view on tariffs as a proposal for those supply routes.

MS. NULAND: Andy, we’ve seen the same media reports that you have seen. We have not, as of this moment, had any official communication from the Government of Pakistan on this subject. It is, as you know, part of their ongoing parliamentary review. So from where we’re standing at the moment, we don’t have anything new.

QUESTION: And do you have any position on tariffs –

MS. NULAND: Well, I’m certainly not going to get into speculating about what they might do and how we might react. I think we’re going to wait and speak to them when they are finished with their review and they’re ready to talk to us and make proposals.

Brad, did you have something?

QUESTION: I just wanted to ask you about the Syria – the Arab mission.

MS. NULAND: Let me just make sure, were there other Pakistan?

QUESTION: Yes.

QUESTION: Okay.

MS. NULAND: Yeah.

Please.

QUESTION: Have you received – has the Secretary of State received a request from the former Pakistani president, General Pervez Musharraf, for a meeting? And if yes, what’s the response?

MS. NULAND: To my knowledge, she has not.

Anything else on Pakistan?

QUESTION: Also, the foreign ministry today indicated in Islamabad that Pakistan would like to have a relationship with the United States in a broad range of areas, which should not be confined to security issues. Any comments – once the review is complete and once they have conversations with the U.S.?

MS. NULAND: Well, I haven’t seen the Pakistani MFA comments, but it certainly sounds, as you describe it, completely in sync with our view of the U.S.-Pakistani relationship, that it should be broad and deep, that we have work to do together across the range of issues, whether we’re talking about increasingly open society, economic things, development things, and the full range of security issues. So we would certainly share the view that we have a lot to do together across the range of concerns.

QUESTION: Victoria, you’re saying it should be broad. So are you suggesting right at the present time it is not broad and comprehensive, and it is only restricted to security measures?

MS. NULAND: I am not meaning to suggest that at all, Said, and in fact you know that in the context of some of the difficulties that we’ve had since November 26th, the full civilian relationship has been going forward, including the economic relationship. One of you asked yesterday about whether civilian assistance has continued to flow since November 26th, and the answer to that question is absolutely, yes.

Please.

QUESTION: One quick question again. Pakistani Government has indicated that if General Pervez Musharraf does return to Pakistan that he will be arrested. Do you guys have a comment on that, on whether he should return and if he’s arrested?

MS. NULAND: Again, we’ve spoken about this before in the last week or two. Our view is that this complex of issues is an internal matter for Pakistan.

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