Clinton thankful for aid against al-Qaeda

Clinton discusses the "New Silk Road," an initiative aimed at developing the regionShe thanks the Tajik president for support in trying to defeat al-Qaeda and bringing security to AfghanistanClinton also addresses human rights concerns and the need for free and independent mediaAfter her Tajikistan visit, Clinton will travel to Uzbekistan
Dushanbe, Tajikistan (CNN) -- U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton thanked Tajikistan's president Saturday for his country's support of efforts to defeat al-Qaeda and bring security to neighboring Afghanistan.
In her first visit to the central Asian country, she also addressed concerns about human rights and the need to bring more economic opportunities during a town hall meeting earlier in the day.
Clinton and President Emomali Rahmon "talked about our work to improve Tajikistan's security, particularly along the border with Afghanistan, and to combat drug trafficking," Clinton told reporters Saturday.
She praised Tajikistan's progress in stopping human traffickers who force women and children to work in cotton fields without pay. But Clinton said the country still faces important challenges.
"Tajik citizens deserve the opportunity to receive a decent education, own land, practice whatever religion they choose, enjoy a free and independent media, and participate equally in the political process," Clinton said at the town hall meeting, sponsored by the Aga Khan Development Network. "And it is up to their leaders to ensure that fundamental freedoms, including religious freedom, are protected for all people: men and women, young and old."
Several reporters have been arrested in Tajikistan for reporting on corruption or the arrests of religious activists, a senior U.S. State Department official said.
Clinton also said the barriers to increased trade are significant, "but so is the potential."
"That is why the United States supports what we're calling the New Silk Road: a network of transit and trade connections that will open new markets for raw materials, energy, and agricultural products for every nation in the region, including Tajikistan," she said.
Tajikistan is one of the poorest countries in the region and was embroiled in civil war until 1997. It shares a 1,400-kilometer border with Afghanistan, "large parts of which are quite porous," making the country vulnerable to extremists, a senior state department official said.
"The New Silk Road holds the potential to help spur growth, create jobs, invigorate the private sector, and integrate Tajikistan into the South and Central Asia economy," Clinton said. "It would also help bring stability to your neighbors in Afghanistan by expanding their economic ties throughout the region."
Clinton said the United States is working with the Aga Khan Development Network to support Pamir Energy in building an integrated energy grid along the Tajik-Afghan border. Pamir Energy is a cross-border electricity transmission project that is helping to light up two very remote provinces of Afghanistan and Tajikistan, the State Department said.
Clinton is expected to travel to Uzbekistan and meet with President Islam Karimov later Saturday.
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Clinton in frank talks in Pakistan

U.S. presses Pakistan on terror fightClinton pushed Pakistanis for more action against Haqqani networkShe admitted the U.S. had met with the Haqqani network onceClinton also met with Pakistan's president
Islamabad, Pakistan (CNN) -- Secretary of State Hillary Clinton made the case to both Pakistani officials and public Friday for stronger action to deny safe havens to terrorists -- even as she explained why the United States tried to talk to one insurgent group.
In a news conference with Pakistani Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar, Clinton said they spoke about the Haqqani network, a Pakistan-based group believed to be responsible for attacks against U.S. troops in Afghanistan. The United States has accused Pakistan's top spy agency of aiding the network
"Nobody that launches attacks should be tolerated with safe haven in a country," Clinton said.
Khar said that safe havens on both sides of the border are an issue, and that Pakistan is working to establish "concrete steps" to "squeeze" the Haqqani network.
But at a roundtable with journalists, Clinton admitted that the United States itself had reached out to the Haqqanis, though, according to a senior State Department official, the meeting happened before the recent attacks.
Clinton was asked if the United States was being contradictory by calling for Pakistan to squeeze them out while the American reached out to them.
"We do not see any contradiction," Clinton said. "In fact, the Pakistani government officials helped to facilitate such a meeting."
The senior State Department official said that the United States met with the Haqqani network at the urging of Pakistani intelligence, and reiterated that America was willing to negotiate with anyone who meets certain guidelines, like not attacking U.S. or Afghan troops. In the case of the Haqqanis, the United States is prepared to fight, the official said.
Khar said that from the Pakistani point of view, they want to get the Haqqani network into the peace process. If the network does not participate in peace talks, he said, the Pakistani government is willing to do what it takes to get them to stop launching attacks.
In a private meeting, Clinton spoke with Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari.
Clinton also held a town hall meeting with members of the Pakistani public. She told the crowd that the question is not whether the United States and Pakistan should work together, but how. Common interests have given way to mutual distrust, she said.
Before going to Pakistan, Clinton stopped in Afghanistan to meet with President Hamid Karzai. Her visit to Afghanistan followed a stop in Libya.
Clinton left Pakistan and flew to Tajikistan on Friday.
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Clinton: U.S. must be economic force

The United States must position itself to lead in a world "where security is shaped in boardrooms and on trading floors -- as well as on battlefields," U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will say Friday in a major economics and foreign policy speech in New York.

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