The US Congressmen assured PM Gilani that the FTA will be more effective as compared to Reconstruction Opportunities Zones (ROZs) due to many security related and infrastructure issues. - APP photo
World
US, Japan vow to revitalise strained ties
ISLAMABAD: US Congressmen presently visiting Pakistan assured that they will make sincere efforts to expedite the process for the legislation for a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between the two countries.
Talking to a group of journalists, the congressmen said they have told Pakistani parliamentarians that FTA will further promote trade and bilateral relations and help Pakistan in resolving its economic crisis.
They said the US wants to build a long-term partnership of trust with Pakistan and would extend full cooperation in strengthening the democratic institutions here.
The US Congressional delegation headed by David Price, Chairman of the House Democracy Partnership Commission included Congressman David Dreier, Congressman Keith Ellson, Congressman Charles W Boustany, Congressman Mazie K. Hirono and Congressman Lois Capps.
During their visit to Pakistan they met with Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani, Senate Chairman Farooq H Naik, Speaker National Assembly Dr Fehmida Mirza, Leader of Opposition in National Assembly Chaudhry Nisar Ahmed and other parliamentarians and discussed matters of mutual interest.
Giving details of their interaction with the parliamentarians, the US Congressmen appreciated the working of the democratic system in Pakistan.
Leader of the delegation Congressman David Price said Pakistan has a responsible and legitimate government and both the countries are working at various levels to have strong and long term relationship beyond narrow concerns of security.
He commended Pakistan’s pivotal role in the global war on terror and lauded the sacrifices made by the country.
He said that US desired economic, social and educational development in Pakistan to overcome the legacy of militancy and terrorism.
David said the US Government and the people understand Pakistan’s sensitivities and have no intention to micro manage things in the country.
Replying to a question he said, a number of concrete proposals including exchange of parliamentary delegations, training Pakistani officials to improve performance of standing committees of parliament through exchange of staff and conducting training workshops are in the works.
Replying to a question, they said the issue of Afghanistan and security related problems of Pakistan were also discussed during these meetings.
They especially appreciated the idea of ‘Pakistan wants trade not aid’ highlighted by Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani during his meeting with the members of the delegation.
They assured the Prime Minister that more concentration would be given to finalise FTA between the two countries as it will be more effective as compared to Reconstruction Opportunities Zones (ROZs) due to many security related and lack of infrastructure issues.
Replying to a question, Congressman David Price said the security issue was not the major topic discussed with the Pakistani parliamentarians while bilateral interaction in political, education, health and other fields were given more focus.
Answering a question about threats to the democratic system in Pakistan, David Price said, ‘strong and functional parliament’ was the solution to any external threats to the democratic process.
‘We want that a popular government should stay in power in Pakistan,’ said Price.
Answering a question, he said, the parliamentarians also conveyed their feelings on Kerry Lugar Bill.
He said the KLB is to improve relations with the civilian government and it does not contain conditions rather it has only expectations and concerns to ensure that the assistance could be spent for which it was given.
The congressmen said there should be no misunderstanding regarding KLB. The issue of drone attacks was also discussed to some extent, he added but he refused to explain the discussion on it saying it was a very complicated issue.—APP. US officials assure Pakistan to expedite FTA Friday, 13 Nov, 2009
Bypassing the aid trap in Pakistan
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China to map out Africa strategy at forum in Egypt
China to map out Africa strategy at forum in Egypt
China will set the future direction of its burgeoning ties with Africa at a multinational forum in Egypt this month, Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi was quoted as saying on Sunday.
Premier Wen Jiabao plans to attend the Nov. 8-9 Forum on China-Africa Cooperation in the resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, Yang said in an interview with the official Xinhua News Agency.
No details were given, but at the last forum in 2006, China pledged to double assistance to Africa by 2009, provide $5 billion in preferential loans and credits, cancel debts and establish a $5 billion fund to encourage Chinese investment.
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Chinese premier pledges funds, aid to Africa
Chinese premier pledges funds, aid to Africa
China's premier on Sunday pledged $10 billion in new low interest loans to African nations over three years, offering the beleaguered continent sorely needed cash while dismissing criticism that Beijing's motives in Africa are far from altruistic.
Wen Jiabao's promise at the start of a two-day China-Africa summit was warmly received by African leaders and officials, most of whose nations confront a miasma of despair further accentuated by a global financial crisis that is only now showing signs of abating.
"The Chinese people cherish sincere friendship toward the African people, and China's support to Africa's development is concrete and real," Wen said at a forum that attracted leaders such as Sudan's Omar al-Bashir - who faces an international arrest warrant - and Zimbabwe's Robert Mugabe. Both are heads of state out-of-favor with the West.
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Make the investment
GEORGE SOROS
www.soros.org
•
Business groups seek job creation
Business groups seek job creation
The Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce has a simple idea for how the Florida Legislature could bring more jobs to the state: Stop cutting funding for schools.
''What we're saying is no further cuts,'' said Michael Burnstine, chairman of the chamber's state advocacy committee. ``If you don't have educated people, you're not going to be competitive in the world.''
The chamber's top pr
Bypassing the aid trap in Pakistan
Similar stories:
•
China to map out Africa strategy at forum in Egypt
China to map out Africa strategy at forum in Egypt
China will set the future direction of its burgeoning ties with Africa at a multinational forum in Egypt this month, Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi was quoted as saying on Sunday.
Premier Wen Jiabao plans to attend the Nov. 8-9 Forum on China-Africa Cooperation in the resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, Yang said in an interview with the official Xinhua News Agency.
No details were given, but at the last forum in 2006, China pledged to double assistance to Africa by 2009, provide $5 billion in preferential loans and credits, cancel debts and establish a $5 billion fund to encourage Chinese investment.
•
Chinese premier pledges funds, aid to Africa
Chinese premier pledges funds, aid to Africa
China's premier on Sunday pledged $10 billion in new low interest loans to African nations over three years, offering the beleaguered continent sorely needed cash while dismissing criticism that Beijing's motives in Africa are far from altruistic.
Wen Jiabao's promise at the start of a two-day China-Africa summit was warmly received by African leaders and officials, most of whose nations confront a miasma of despair further accentuated by a global financial crisis that is only now showing signs of abating.
"The Chinese people cherish sincere friendship toward the African people, and China's support to Africa's development is concrete and real," Wen said at a forum that attracted leaders such as Sudan's Omar al-Bashir - who faces an international arrest warrant - and Zimbabwe's Robert Mugabe. Both are heads of state out-of-favor with the West.
•
Make the investment
GEORGE SOROS
www.soros.org
•
Business groups seek job creation
Business groups seek job creation
The Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce has a simple idea for how the Florida Legislature could bring more jobs to the state: Stop cutting funding for schools.
''What we're saying is no further cuts,'' said Michael Burnstine, chairman of the chamber's state advocacy committee. ``If you don't have educated people, you're not going to be competitive in the world.''
The chamber's top priorities for this year's legislative session also include a request that the state restore funding for a proposed tunnel to provide easier access to the Port of Miami. The port is widely regarded as a key engine for the local economy.
•
World Trade Center Miami helps drive business to South Florida
World Trade Center Miami helps drive business to South Florida
When Charlotte Gallogly was growing up, she often spent Saturdays at the library reading about, in her words, ``far away places with strange-sounding names.''
Today, as president of the World Trade Center Miami, she helps bring thousands of people from far away places to trade shows and conferences in Miami. The center, established in 1985, organizes some of the largest trade shows in the hemisphere, including Air Cargo Americas, SeaCargo Americas and the Americas Food & Beverage Show. It also puts together events such as the State of the Ports, World Trade Week and International Women's Day.
The two cargo events held in Miami last week and the food and beverage show, which closed on Tuesday, attracted thousands of visitors from scores of countries, as well as businessmen and government representatives from South Florida, said Gallogly, who took over as president of the WTC Miami in 1987 when the organization became operational.
BY GLENN HUBBARD
www.washpost.com
Congress recently approved $7.5 billion in aid to Pakistan for social and economic development. The bill incited controversy by requiring that the U.S. secretary of state report to lawmakers on whether Pakistan's civilian government keeps effective control over its military, because many observers accuse some in the Pakistani military of having tolerated or even aided Islamic extremists since the 1980s.
But the bill itself should raise questions. After all, does Pakistan, or the U.S. Agency for International Development, or any other agency that will implement the aid actually know how to successfully spend these funds? In other parts of the world, especially Africa, foreign aid has been a spectacular failure in promoting social and economic development. This bill promises more of the same.
The United States has given Pakistan more than $10 billion in development aid since 1954. What has become of those funds? It certainly has not helped produce the kind of stability and prosperity that would help Pakistan offer its people an alternative to extremism. Nor has aid worked in Africa. Nothing indicates that an additional $7.5 billion will yield better results.
All, however, is not yet lost. It will take time to disburse and spend the funds, and there could be a chance to recast the support in a more promising way. There is even an example of effective large-scale aid on which to draw: the Marshall Plan of postwar Europe, which is still recognized as the most successful aid program in history.
The essence of the Marshall Plan was loans to local businesses, which paid them back to their local governments, which used the money for commercial infrastructure to help those same businesses. The result was economic growth, employment and a stable middle class that opposed the popular communist parties across Europe. With creative adaptation, the same basic model can work in Pakistan.
Economic aid to Africa and Pakistan has tended to be allocated to government-directed development projects. More recently, such aid has funded projects by nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), too. But all of the world's prosperous countries became rich through the growth of a domestic business sector. India and China are the most recent examples of this. A thriving local business sector is the only known path to prosperity and stability.
Some might argue that Pakistan is too different from postwar Europe for a Marshall Plan to work. But consider Greece, a poor and war-torn nation when the Marshall Plan was implemented. By the time the plan was ended, Greece was well on its way to prosperity. This model can be reinterpreted to best suit the Pakistan situation: The kinds of loans can vary widely, and the commercial infrastructure can range from training for accountants to the more traditional ports and roads.
The World Bank's Doing Business index ranks countries by how easy it is for citizens to start and run businesses. Among the 183 nations ranked, most of sub-Saharan Africa falls in the bottom half. Pakistan, at No. 85, is less anti-business than most poor countries, so a Marshall Plan there has a reasonable chance of success.
Right now, nothing in the package suggests that this $7.5 billion will do any better than previous development aid, largely because government and NGO aid projects make it harder for prosperity to take root. Aid projects hire qualified staff away from local businesses. For example, they deliver fertilizer to farmers instead of a local business doing it. And they remove incentive for Pakistan to make reforms that foster business development. After all, why make it easier for business when government and NGO projects give out so much money?
But a Marshall Plan would help Pakistan's efforts to encourage its local business sector. The efforts are there: In August, Prime Minister Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani established the first Business Persons Council; it has 53 members from the local business community and is headed by the minister of finance. The council is to meet monthly ``to recommend measures for improvement in business climate in Pakistan and develop a business and trade sector strategy for the country.'' This is a major shift from tradition, in which the government Planning Commission was solely in charge of economic policy. Foreign aid should work with this new effort rather than at cross-purposes with it.
Former secretary of state George Marshall famously suggested fighting the spread of communism in Europe through local business. That strategy could contribute to the battle against Islamic extremism. The current aid package should become a Pakistan Marshall Plan -- before it's too late.
Glenn Hubbard, dean of Columbia Business School and a former chairman of the White House Council of Economic Advisers, is the author of Aid Trap: Hard Truths About Ending Poverty.
Priorities for this year's legislative session also include a request that the state restore funding for a proposed tunnel to provide easier access to the Port of Miami. The port is widely regarded as a key engine for the local economy.
World Trade Center Miami helps drive business to South Florida
World Trade Center Miami helps drive business to South Florida
When Charlotte Gallogly was growing up, she often spent Saturdays at the library reading about, in her words, ``far away places with strange-sounding names.''
Today, as president of the World Trade Center Miami, she helps bring thousands of people from far away places to trade shows and conferences in Miami. The center, established in 1985, organizes some of the largest trade shows in the hemisphere, including Air Cargo Americas, SeaCargo Americas and the Americas Food & Beverage Show. It also puts together events such as the State of the Ports, World Trade Week and International Women's Day.
The two cargo events held in Miami last week and the food and beverage show, which closed on Tuesday, attracted thousands of visitors from scores of countries, as well as businessmen and government representatives from South Florida, said Gallogly, who took over as president of the WTC Miami in 1987 when the organization became operational.
BY GLENN HUBBARD www.washpost.com
Congress recently approved $7.5 billion in aid to Pakistan for social and economic development. The bill incited controversy by requiring that the U.S. secretary of state report to lawmakers on whether Pakistan's civilian government keeps effective control over its military, because many observers accuse some in the Pakistani military of having tolerated or even aided Islamic extremists since the 1980s.
But the bill itself should raise questions. After all, does Pakistan, or the U.S. Agency for International Development, or any other agency that will implement the aid actually know how to successfully spend these funds? In other parts of the world, especially Africa, foreign aid has been a spectacular failure in promoting social and economic development. This bill promises more of the same.
The United States has given Pakistan more than $10 billion in development aid since 1954. What has become of those funds? It certainly has not helped produce the kind of stability and prosperity that would help Pakistan offer its people an alternative to extremism. Nor has aid worked in Africa. Nothing indicates that an additional $7.5 billion will yield better results.
All, however, is not yet lost. It will take time to disburse and spend the funds, and there could be a chance to recast the support in a more promising way. There is even an example of effective large-scale aid on which to draw: the Marshall Plan of postwar Europe, which is still recognized as the most successful aid program in history.
The essence of the Marshall Plan was loans to local businesses, which paid them back to their local governments, which used the money for commercial infrastructure to help those same businesses. The result was economic growth, employment and a stable middle class that opposed the popular communist parties across Europe. With creative adaptation, the same basic model can work in Pakistan.
Economic aid to Africa and Pakistan has tended to be allocated to government-directed development projects. More recently, such aid has funded projects by nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), too. But all of the world's prosperous countries became rich through the growth of a domestic business sector. India and China are the most recent examples of this. A thriving local business sector is the only known path to prosperity and stability.
Some might argue that Pakistan is too different from postwar Europe for a Marshall Plan to work. But consider Greece, a poor and war-torn nation when the Marshall Plan was implemented. By the time the plan was ended, Greece was well on its way to prosperity. This model can be reinterpreted to best suit the Pakistan situation: The kinds of loans can vary widely, and the commercial infrastructure can range from training for accountants to the more traditional ports and roads.
The World Bank's Doing Business index ranks countries by how easy it is for citizens to start and run businesses. Among the 183 nations ranked, most of sub-Saharan Africa falls in the bottom half. Pakistan, at No. 85, is less anti-business than most poor countries, so a Marshall Plan there has a reasonable chance of success.
Right now, nothing in the package suggests that this $7.5 billion will do any better than previous development aid, largely because government and NGO aid projects make it harder for prosperity to take root. Aid projects hire qualified staff away from local businesses. For example, they deliver fertilizer to farmers instead of a local business doing it. And they remove incentive for Pakistan to make reforms that foster business development. After all, why make it easier for business when government and NGO projects give out so much money?
But a Marshall Plan would help Pakistan's efforts to encourage its local business sector. The efforts are there: In August, Prime Minister Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani established the first Business Persons Council; it has 53 members from the local business community and is headed by the minister of finance. The council is to meet monthly ``to recommend measures for improvement in business climate in Pakistan and develop a business and trade sector strategy for the country.'' This is a major shift from tradition, in which the government Planning Commission was solely in charge of economic policy. Foreign aid should work with this new effort rather than at cross-purposes with it.
Former secretary of state George Marshall famously suggested fighting the spread of communism in Europe through local business. That strategy could contribute to the battle against Islamic extremism. The current aid package should become a Pakistan Marshall Plan -- before it's too late.
Glenn Hubbard, dean of Columbia Business School and a former chairman of the White House Council of Economic Advisers, is the author of Aid Trap: Hard Truths About Ending Poverty.
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