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US’s Holbrooke to visit Turkey after Pakistan, Afghanistan
“I will be leaving the day after tomorrow for Afghanistan and Pakistan in reverse order, Pakistan first and then Afghanistan,” Holbrooke was quoted as saying by news reports at a panel organized by the Center for American Progress, a Washington, D.C., think tank, as he noted that President Barack Obama has asked him “to be on the scene” during Afghanistan's presidential elections scheduled to be held on Aug. 20.
“Then I will fly to İstanbul, where the Turks are hosting a Friends of Democratic Pakistan meeting,” Holbrooke was also quoted as saying, in a reference to the FoDP meeting which will be hosted in İstanbul on Aug. 24-25.
Turkish officials in Ankara confirmed Holbrooke's participation in the meeting. During a visit to Washington in June, Turkey's Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu held talks with Holbrooke as well as with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Earlier, in mid-May, Holbrooke had participated in a meeting of the Afghanistan and Pakistan Support Group, consisting of special envoys of partner countries for the region, which was held in İstanbul.
During the unveiling of a review of US strategy concerning Afghanistan and Pakistan at a White House meeting in March, Holbrooke, who was co-chairman of the review, said the United States was but one of many countries with a stake in bringing peace to the region.
Holbrooke then pointed to Turkey along with Saudi Arabia, China, Russia, Iran, the United Arab Emirates and Afghanistan's neighbors.
“All those have a real influence, all are involved [with Afghanistan and Pakistan] whether we like it or not,” Holbrooke said.
The FoDP was launched in New York in September, 2008, on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly session. The founding member states of the FoDP included the UK, France, Germany, the US, China, the United Arab Emirates, Canada, Turkey, Australia and Italy plus the UN and the European Union. At the upcoming İstanbul meeting, a total of 24 member states and international organizations are expected to be represented.
Pakistan's request for extending assistance worth $2 billion to Islamabad during the current fiscal year 2009-10 is likely to dominate the agenda of the İstanbul meeting.
In Islamabad, Pakistani Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani earlier this week urged members of the FoDP to ensure ministerial-level participation in the upcoming meeting in İstanbul to support Pakistan in the reconstruction of the Malakand region of the North-West Frontier Province. Gilani also said the country would be presenting a comprehensive plan for infrastructure development and the provision of education and healthcare facilities in the Swat Valley.
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