Government calls for dialogue with tribal leaders after suicide bombing
(16 Jul 2007) 1. Mid shot of Pakistani Foreign Office spokeswoman 2. Wide shot of journalist attending press conference 3. SOUNDBITE: (English) Tasanam Aslam, Pakistani Foreign Office spokeswoman: "Deal with the tribal elders in Waziristan, North Waziristan. As far as government of Pakistan is concerned, the deal has been not scuttled by the government. The government remains in dialogue with the tribal elders." 4. Wide shot of journalist at the end of press briefing STORYLINE: Pakistani officials were trying on Monday to save a peace deal supposed to contain militants near the Afghan border, despite U.S. concern that it has provided the Taliban and al-Qaida with an increasingly safe haven. Pro-Taliban militants in the lawless North Waziristan region announced the end of the 10-month-old agreement amid weekend bombings and suicide attacks that killed more than 70 people across the northwest, most of them police and soldiers. A delegation of government-backed tribal elders held negotiations on Monday with militant leaders in North Waziristan's main town of Miran Shah, an intelligence official said. The Foreign Ministry confirmed that talks were in progress. The peace agreement "has not been scuttled by the government. The government remains in dialogue with the tribal elders," said ministry spokeswoman Tasnim Aslam. The militants were being urged to stick with the agreement and told that the government would compensate people who had suffered from earlier military operations, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity since he was not authorised to speak to the press. The violence has added to a sense of crisis in Pakistan and challenged the ability of President General Pervez Musharraf to confront Islamic extremism just as he faces a growing pro-democracy movement ahead of year-end elections. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter: / ap_archive Facebook: / aparchives Instagram: / apnews You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...
