Biden, Richardson Say Diplomacy Needed In Pakistan
MANCHESTER, N.H. — U.S. foreign policy and the crisis in Pakistan were front and center at a presidential candidates forum Wednesday morning in Manchester.
The forum was intended to look at alternatives to military force as the United States looks to strengthen its position in the world. Gov. Bill Richardson and Sen. Joe Biden, both Democrats running for president, addressed the bipartisan crowd.
Both candidates said the current administration has forgotten about the art of diplomacy, dialogue and negotiation.
Richardson addressed the crisis in Pakistan, where President Pervez Musharraf declared a state of emergency on Saturday. Richardson, a former United Nations ambassador and current New Mexico governor, said the country needs to make sure Musharraf knows he can’t continue down the current path.
“We should say to Musharraf, ‘Bring back elections, bring back democracy and go after al-Qaida,’” Richardson said. “We give you $10 billion a year to do that, and you’re not doing that.”
Biden said that he spoke to the Pakistani president and said diplomacy can defuse the crisis if some things are made clear.
“For the arrangement that’s going to have to be made between (former Pakistani Premier Benazir) Bhutto and Musharraf as prime minister and president, that’s going to have to be made allocating the power among them and then reinstating the Supreme Court,” Biden said.
The candidates also talked about the need to target aid for infrastructure improvements.
The Center for U.S. Global Engagement, which sponsored the forum, said there is a growing interest in foreign policy across the country.
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