- Title: PAKISTAN: U.S. ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF STATE MEETS TOP PAKISTANI OFFICIALS.
- Date: 13th May 2004
- Summary: (U1) ISLAMABAD, PAKISTAN (MAY 12, 2004) (REUTERS) 1. GV: EXTERIOR OF FOREIGN OFFICE 0.04 2. MV/PAN/CU: U.S. ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF STATE, CHRISTINA ROCCA, SHAKING HANDS WITH FOREIGN MINISTER KHURSHEED MEHMOOD KASURI; CLOSE OF ROCCA (2 SHOTS) 0.13 3. MCU: U.S. AMBASSADOR TO PAKISTAN, NANCY POWELL, SHAKING HANDS WITH KASURI 0.15 4. CU: PHOTOGRAPHERS 0.19 5. GV/CU/MV: U.S. AND PAKISTANI OFFICIALS SITTING FOR TALKS (4 SHOTS) 0.34 (U1) SIHALA, PAKISTAN (MAY 12, 2004) (REUTERS) 6. VARIOUS: PUNJAB ELITE TEAM TARGET SHOOTING;. U.S. INSTRUCTORS WATCHING; ELITE TEAM AND INSTRUCTORS WALKING THROUGH PRACTICE AREA; U.S. INSTRUCTOR GIVING INSTRUCTIONS (6 SHOTS) 1.04 7. VARIOUS: ELITE TEAM PATROLLING; BREAKING INTO MAKESHIFT HOUSE; MORE OF INSTRUCTORS GIVING DIRECTIONS (7 SHOTS) 1.37 8. (SOUNDBITE) (English) COLONEL WAQAR BURHAN, COMMANDER PUNJAB ELITE TEAM, SAYING: "This is the culmination of the training which we had for the last six weeks." 1.44 9. CU: CLOSE OF TEAM MEMBERS' GUNS 1.46 10. (SOUNDBITE) (Urdu) COLONEL WAQAR BURHAN, COMMANDER PUNJAB ELITE TEAM, SAYING: "It is very important to have complete expertise in this technique, because, when all other efforts fail to release hostages - innocent civilians who are taken hostage - this is the technique that is used as a last resort by governments (to free hostages)." 2.06 11. VARIOUS: ELITE TEAM STORMING INTO MAKESHIFT HOUSE (8 SHOTS) 2.43 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
- Embargoed: 28th May 2004 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: ISLAMABAD/SIHALA, PAKISTAN
- Country: Pakistan
- Reuters ID: LVABHKXKI2HB2X31A3M08ZZP5P9X
- Story Text: U.S Assistant Secretary of State meets Pakistani top
officials.
U.S Assistant Secretary of State Christina Rocca,
who arrived in Pakistan on Tuesday (May 11) on a three-day
visit, met President Pervez Musharraf and Foreign Minister
Khursheed Mehmood Kasuri in Islamabad on Wednesday (May 12).
According to Foreign Ministry officials, Rocca's
meetings focussed on the situation in Afghanistan, efforts
to fight terrorism, developments in Iraq and the peace
process between Pakistan and India, with the "primary focus
being on strengthening bilateral relations between the
United States and Pakistan."
Pakistan is a key U.S ally in tracking down Taliban and
al-Qaeda suspects, hundreds of who are believed to be
hiding in the tribal belt along the Pak-Afghan border.
Washington has also asked Pakistan to send peacekeeping
troops to Iraq, but neither the Foreign Office nor U.S
embassy officials would say if that request had come up in
Wednesday's meetings.
As Rocca met Pakistani officials in Islamabad, a
27-member team of the Punjab Elite Force demonstrated the
skills it had learnt during the Crisis Response Team (CRT)
training course under the U.S. State Department's
Anti-Terrorism Assistance Programme (ATAP).
The six-week training course, which was conducted in
Camp Sihala, about 20 kms south of Islamabad, was the first
ATAP course in Pakistan and was aimed at developing and
enhancing the capabilities of Pakistan's law-enforcing
personnel in anti- terrorism activities.
The Punjab Elite Team's display included mechanical and
explosive breaching of terrorists' hideouts, quick and
effective response under sniper fire and close-quarter
battle.
"This is the culmination of the training which we had
for the last six weeks," Colonel Waqar Burhan, commander of
the Punjab Elite team, told Reuters Television after the
demonstration.
"It is very important to have complete expertise in
this technique, because, when all other efforts fail to
release hostages - innocent civilians who are taken hostage
- this is the technique that is used as a last resort by
governments (to free hostages)," he said.
According to U.S. embassy officials, the Anti-Terrorism
Assistance Program is designed to assist any Pakistani law-
enforcement institution that has a role in combatting
terrorism.
- Copyright Holder: REUTERS
- Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2015. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
- Usage Terms/Restrictions: None