Foreign Minister visits Pakistan to bolster strategic partnership
Updated
And Australia's Foreign Minister Stephen Smith arrives in Pakistan later today for talks with the President, his Pakistani counterpart and the head of the military.
It's part of Australia's attempt to upgrade its relationship with Pakistan. Security will be a key point of discussions, in the first visit to Pakistan by an Australian foreign minister in more than a decade.
Presenter: Alexandra Kirk
Speaker: Stephen Smith, Australia's Foreign minister
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STEPHEN SMITH: Well certainly we've been in discussions, the two chiefs of the armed forces will meet in the first half of this year and we're looking, for example, at the potential of a fourfold increase in the number of Pakistani armed forces personnel to whom we provide training. Because the presence of the Taliban in the Pakistan/Afghanistan border area of course has very severe implications for our troops in Afghanistan and also for the general Afghanistan effort.
There's no doubt in my mind that Pakistan now understands that this terrorist threat, this extremist threat, is a threat to its own existence as well, not just having implications for Afghanistan. And as President Zardari has said over the weekend, they are looking at Pakistan's survival, not just the survival of neighbouring countries. So I think Pakistan understands too well that when you look at the last 12 months - the assassination of Mrs Bhutto, the terrible attack of Mumbai in India, the attack upon the hotel in Pakistan itself - these are terrible terrorist attacks and that terrorist element has to be brought to justice and essentially brought under control and I'll be making that point very strongly to the Pakistani officials that I meet with.
ALEXANDRA KIRK: In your view is Pakistan doing enough though?
STEPHEN SMITH: The response effectively in the last couple of days to hand over its first information dossier formally to the Indians, I welcome. But we think there's more that Pakistan has to do.
ALEXANDRA KIRK: US President Obama has just issued a stern warning to Pakistan that it can't be allowed to allow safe havens in the border areas for Al Qaida and Taliban. Is that what you'll be saying to the Pakistani Government?
STEPHEN SMITH: Yes, I'll be making the point that we need to bring the presence of the Taliban and other extremists and terrorist organisations in the federally administered territorial areas or the Afghanistan/Pakistan border area under control. That is a matter of direct and immediate interest to Australia given the presence of our troops in Afghanistan, but it's also a matter of intense regional interest and I'll be encouraging Pakistan to continue to treat that threat as a threat to Pakistan with the need for Pakistan to respond in conjunction with and cooperation with its neighbours and international community.
ALEXANDRA KIRK: But respond how and respond by when?
STEPHEN SMITH: Well, Lashkar-e-Toiba, that needs to be brought under control. It's quite clear that the LeT was involved in the terrible attack on Mumbai and the perpetrators themselves need to be brought to justice to build confidence back between India and Pakistan and then to start the constructive dialogue between India and Pakistan.
ALEXANDRA KIRK: How will you judge if Pakistan is doing enough on terrorism?
STEPHEN SMITH: Well part of the test will be the confidence that India has. But in very many respects the test won't be, what is Australia's view? The test will be, what is India's perception or India's view, which is why I say and Australia says we need to ensure that what Pakistan does rebuilds confidence with India.
