FMs discuss help for flood, violence and poverty stricken Pakistan
(15 Oct 2010) SHOTLIST 1. Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi gets out of car 2. SOUNDBITE: (English) Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Pakistani Foreign Minister: "Well I can't give you a verdict before the meeting starts but I am expecting a good meeting and the general atmosphere has been very positive." 3. Wide of Qureshi and media 4. SOUNDBITE: (English) Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Pakistani Foreign Minister: "Well it's basically an Afghan initiative, they have to own it, they have to lead it. We are there to help, we are there to facilitate because we want to see a stable, peaceful Afghanistan. It is in Pakistan's interest to see stability and peace in Afghanistan." 5. Cutaway of cameraman 6. SOUNDBITE (English) Catherine Ashton, European Union security and foreign affairs chief: "This is about helping the people of Pakistan be able to have a viable country, to get on with their lives and to move forward and to rebuild in a way that protects them should the floods come back." 7. German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle arrives, greeting Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit 8. SOUNDBITE: (English) Guido Westerwelle, German Foreign Minister: "We are ready to support Pakistan because we have of course serious interest in a stable country, in a stable Pakistan. But it is also necessary that in Pakistan we will see reforms, that the inner structure of Pakistan will change and this is something we are looking for." 9. British Foreign Secretary William Hague arriving for meeting 10. SOUNDBITE: (English) Franco Frattini, Italian Foreign Minister: "Pakistan has to continue its democratic process, has to fight in a stronger way terrorism and extremists, has to continue to cooperate for stabilising the broader region including Afghanistan and Pakistan. That said, we want a stable Pakistan because an unstable Pakistan would destabilise the whole region." 11. Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki arriving 12. SOUNDBITE: (English) Manouchehr Mottaki, Iranian Foreign Minister: "We do hope a good and substantial readiness of the international community, particularly the Friends of Pakistan, we announce to help the Pakistani people." 13. Wide of arrival area STORYLINE Foreign Ministers and officials from 26 nations, including the US and Iran, met on Friday to discuss ways the international community could do more to help flood, violence and poverty stricken Pakistan. The group of countries calling itself the Friends of Democratic Pakistan gathered in Brussels at a meeting hosted by the European Council. Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said he expected "a good meeting." "The general atmosphere has been very positive," he added. Regarding Afghanistan peace talks with Taliban insurgents, Qureshi said Pakistan was willing to help facilitate the peace talks. "Well it's basically an Afghan initiative, they have to own it, they have to lead it. We are there to help, we are there to facilitate because we want to see a stable peaceful Afghanistan," Qureshi said. In hopes of promoting a peaceful resolution, Afghan President Hamid Karzai recently set up a 68-member council to guide formal talks with the Taliban. He said informal talks have been taking place, but there has been no formal contact with the Taliban's leadership. The Afghan Taliban, meanwhile, have denied having discussions. The Friends of Democratic Pakistan group, was formed two years ago to support the country's moves towards democracy. Participants are discussing increased aid to Islamabad in the aftermath of the devastation caused by this summer's floods. 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...
