434. Telegram From the Embassy in Pakistan to the Department of State1
2934. Subject: (S) GOP Clarifies Position on U.S. Assistance and Security Relationship. Ref: Islamabad 2290.2
1. (S) Entire text–FGI.
[Page 990]2. MFA Additional Secretary Riaz Piracha called me in March 30; I was accompanied by PolOff Sherman and Piracha by USA Director Farouk Rana as notetakers.
3. Piracha prefaced his remarks by saying GOP wishes to avoid misunderstandings alleged to have surrounded Agha Shahi’s address early in March in which he rejected aid package3 and the subsequent press reports that move caught U.S. by surprise. He also sharply criticized impression that “the Government of India seems to have been privy to substance of our previous confidential conversations on aid package.” He expanded on this saying that about time of Eric Gonsalves’ visit to U.S. it became clear that the “GOI was aware of almost everything USG and GOP had discussed, thus GOP made no public reaction on military/security relationship”.4
4. Proceeding to substance, Piracha made three points:
—The GOP considers the US/Pak security relationship to have “reverted” to its status preceding the Brzezinski-Christopher visit. The apparently “insurmountables obstacles to conversion of the 1959 agreement into a treaty with Senate ratification had been made clear to GOP. Piracha explained that GOP fully aware that congressional consideration even of reaffirmation of ’59 agreement would likely open Pandora’s box of “extraneous” issues (nuclear, internal political situation, human rights, Indian considerations, etc), and his government has no desire to see this happen now. Therefore, GOP accepts executive agreement as it is, and President Carter’s public statements of continuing U.S. adherence to that agreement, as basis of present security relationship.
—Concerning U.S. economic aid, Piracha said, “We are ready to accept it, of course, without any strings.” GOP priorities are: (a) debt rescheduling; (b) commodity assistance; (c) program assistance and; (d) project aid—in that order, he said. Piracha said these priorities follow those catalogued to me by FonSec Shahnawaz earlier (ref A) but with addition of program assistance in third place.
—Third point Piracha made echoed his preface in that he expects this exchange to remain privileged. He mentioned Amb. Goheen’s March 18 Rotary speech in Calcutta5 in which allegedly skewed version of US-Pak bilateral negotiations was presented along with statement that the U.S. has turned down a new GOP arms request because it would have “shifted power balance in region.” Piracha described present state of bilateral US-Pakistan discussions as “very delicate.”
[Page 991]5. I thanked Piracha for presentation but declined to make any comments at this time. Because he had not mentioned the subject, I asked whether GOP considers cash sales military supply program still in effect and desirable. He responded that the program—since it precedes Brzezinski-Christopher visit—remains an ongoing interest.
6. Comment: Piracha said he used as briefing paper for our meeting a cable MFA sent to Ambassador Sultan in Washington on March 24. If not already done, I expect Dept will soon hear the same message directly from Sultan. Piracha’s remarks on GOP dissatisfaction with perceived lack of confidentiality on our previous exchanges were polite but sharp. End comment.
- Source: Carter Library, National Security Affairs, Brzezinski Material, President’s Daily CIA Brief File, Box 26, 3/27/80–3/31/80. Secret; Immediate; Nodis. Carter initialed “C” in the upper right-hand corner of the telegram. An unknown hand underlined the telegram number and the subject line. Printed from a copy that was received in the White House Situation Room.↩
- See footnote 2, Document 430.↩
- See footnote 2, Document 429.↩
- Gonsalves visited Washington February 26. See Documents 172 and 173.↩
- Not found.↩