Fed: Smith says Pakistan military needs to face modern threats

AAP General News (Australia)
08-20-2008
Fed: Smith says Pakistan military needs to face modern threats

CANBERRA, Aug 20 AAP - Pakistan's armed forces need to adapt to present-day challenges
after years of border conflict with India, Foreign Minister Stephen Smith says.

Australia is willing to help with technical expertise but not with military personnel, he says.

Mr Smith also renewed Australia's offer to help Pakistan cope with the transition from
President Pervez Musharraf, who resigned this week after the country's parliament began
impeachment proceedings.

"The Pakistan army has for years stood across the border looking at the Indians," Mr
Smith told ABC Radio.

"They have got to adopt and adapt to the modern challenge and our forces, our military
advisers are very good in that area.

"We have offered technical support. I have ruled out supply of military personnel but
there is technical expertise we can bring to bear."

Mr Smith said Pakistan had done a good job conducting parliamentary elections earlier
this year, bringing to power a government critical of Musharraf.

"They have now seen him off. It does give the chance for them to now focus on the real
substantial problems that Pakistan have."

Those problems related especially to security in the federally-administered tribal
areas, now a bastion of Islamic extremism.

"When we think of Afghanistan, we now have to think of Afghanistan-Pakistan because
that is where the difficulty is and that is where the insurgents seek refuge across the
border," he said.

AAP mb/rl/cjh/bwl

KEYWORD: PAKISTAN AUST DAYLEAD

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