President Barack Obama should deepen US engagement in Afghanistan but show more restraint in Pakistan, ministers said Thursday as the volatile region took centre stage in Davos.
Pakistan”s Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani told delegates that US drone attacks on Pakistani territory were “counterproductive” and called for a new approach by Obama”s administration.
Afghan Defence Minister Mohammad Rahim Wardak said he welcomed the prospect of increased numbers of US troops in his country but pleaded for the larger military presence to be accompanied by more development aid.
All participants in the discussion, including French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner and Turkish Foreign Minister Ali Babacan, underlined that military efforts alone could not succeed.
“I don”t think military action is the only solution to the problems,” said Gilani, who called for development and dialogue to be part of a three-pronged approach to tackling Islamic militants.
He heavily criticised attacks on Pakistan”s restive western regions by US drones, which he said undermined the government”s strategy of engaging tribes and separating them from militants.
“When there is a drone attack that unites them again, the tribes and the militants,” Gilani said.
Obama pledged during his election campaign to continue drone attacks in Pakistan if there was evidence militants could be killed, even without approval from the Pakistani government.
