President Obama Fends Off Rumors That He Was Offended By Sharif

President Obama condemned rumors of him being offended that the Pakistani prime minister, Nawaz sharif decided to not attend the fourth and final Nuclear Security Summit which began in Washington on Thursday.

A statement issued from the White House disclosed details of a telephone call the president made to the Pakistani Prime Minister the day before and included that “President Obama expressed his understanding of Prime Minister (Nawaz) Sharif’s decision to cancel his visit to the United States and remain in Pakistan following this terrorist attack.”

The rumours were kindled by the phone call made by the US president two days after PM Sharif announced his decision to cancel his visit.

The White House not only eliminated the claims but also highlighted the point of the call saying “The president reiterated the US commitment to partner with Pakistan to counter terrorism.”

The phone call, made two days after Mr Sharif announced his decision to cancel his visit, fueled rumors that President Obama wanted the Prime Minister to reconsider his decision.

The White House’s statement, however, not only rejected the suggestion, but also underlined the purpose of the call.

The media maintains Pakistan’s central role in summit-related dialogues and debates notwithstanding their absence in the summit.

Fox news stated, in a report that Pakistan and Russia were two of the most impotant nuclear powers who were absent for the summit. The report added that “The absence of the Russian government and the prime minister of Pakistan — both important nuclear powers — could hinder the talks,”

It was also noted by US News and World Report that Syed Tariq Fatemi’s representation of Pakistan would be as meaningful and that the Prime Minister’s “absen­ce may hamper international efforts aimed at calming atomic tensions between Pakistan and India”.

“Terrorist attacks in Belgium and Pakistan lend a greater sense of urgency to President Obama’s final nuclear security summit,” wrote Voice of America’s Barbara Slavin.

Miles Pomper, a senior research associate at the James Martin Centre for Non-proliferation Studies, told VOA that China was converting a reactor in Nigeria so that it did not need to use highly enriched uranium.

“The US National Nuclear Security Administration hopes that the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) will help convert similar research reactors in Pakistan, Syria and Iran,” said Mr Pomper.

The Iran deal was meant to ensure that the world’s nuclear club would not expand beyond its current roster of nine countries: the United States, Russia, France, China, Britain, Pakistan, India, Israel and North Korea, he added.

In a commentary on the summit, Fox news noted that Pakistan and Russia were among the “powerful players” not attending the summit.

“The absence of the Russian government and the prime minister of Pakistan — both important nuclear powers — could hinder the talks,” it added.

US News and World Report noted that although Syed Tariq Fatemi would represent Pakistan at the summit, the prime minister’s “absence may hamper international efforts aimed at calming atomic tensions between Pakistan and India”.

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Posted by modousarr on Apr 1 2016. Filed under Latest News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.