Another panel involved Ambassador Bernd Mützelburg, Germany’s special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan. The Ambassador has had many years of experience dealing with foreign affairs, and is a recognized expert throughout Europe and the Mid-East. He believes that Pakistan and Afghanistan are inter-related. He says 2009 is a key year. You can’t have safe havens for terrorists or the Taliban in Pakistan. If the Taliban win in Afghanistan it is going to de-stabilize many countries in the Mid-East.
Ambassador Bernd Mützelburg said there are elections in Afghanistan on the 20th of August. There are 44 candidates for president but no one can challenge the incumbent Hamid Karzai. The U.S. and Germany have agreed to stay out of the race, but to support the process. You must recognize that the Presidential election won’t be perfect and there will not be a level playing field, but they are moving in the right direction.
In Pakistan the government is finally starting to fight back against Islamists, but it is just the beginning. Many people are fleeing from their home in Pakistan to other locations in Pakistan and money is needed for the refugees. The Pakistani government needs to be able to offer better services and more help, than the Taliban, for the refugees. The government is not doing much at this time, so there is a vacuum in public service which terrorists are attempting to fill. There are 20,000 madrasas (religious schools in Pakistan) where hatred is taught for Jews, Americans and Hindus. They need the right kind of school system and school syllabus.
Pakistan represents a major political challenge, as its democracy has never been deeply anchored. There has been a lot of corruption by civilian leaders over the years, so the people turn back to the military, which today is the real center of power. The problem in Pakistan is that it considers India its major threat, and Kashmir as key. Much of its armed forces have been geared against India with large, sophisticated weapons, but not to the war that has to be fought against the Jihadists.
There is an economic crisis in Pakistan; $5.3 billion has been given by the U.S., Germany, etc. The real need is for the military to accept civilian control and build a civil society. As a practical matter Pakistan needs to get India involved. They need to solve the Kashmir problem and look for economic cooperation with India in many areas, such as an oil pipeline. At the present time Saudi Arabia and the Arab Emirates are offering dollars. There is a possibility that they will offer troops, which would be a huge plus for Pakistan.
A question was raised about the loyalty of the Pakistani army and especially the intelligence corps. There is no question there are some problems, and it goes back to when the Pakistanis were working with the Taliban to get rid of the Russians in Afghanistan. The Minister feels that the army is mostly loyal.
The biggest problem in Pakistan from the U.S. standpoint is civilian casualties which come from close air support and also drones. All the good that we do is wiped out when one of these incidents happens.
The U.S. has to be careful in its dealings in that part of the world. For instance, when we had a nuclear deal with India, Pakistan felt we were selling out to India. The key is to get economic cooperation between India and Pakistan. Kashmir is still a problem although in practical terms it shouldn’t be. People in Kashmir do not want to be a part of Pakistan, as they look on it as a failing state. Once again Ambassador Mützelburg made a plea to reduce the air strikes and the drones. It is hoped as the Pakistani army does better, there will be less need for this kind of activity.
I hope these six articles on the Congressional Bundestag Study Group give you an appreciation of the issues discussed and the high level of participants. For instance, the German Ambassador to the United States, the Honorable Klaus Scharioth, traveled from Washington to Berlin and spent the entire time with the Delegation. He is one of the outstanding diplomats in the world and his presence put a stamp of importance on the meetings, together with the meetings with the Chancellor, the Foreign Minister, the Minister of Health, and the Minister of the Environment, etc.
