The U.S. Ambassador-designate to Pakistan Wendy J. Chamberlain has said that Washington needs todefine its relationship with Islamabad on its own merit and looks forward to seeing a nuclear-capable Pakistan as a democracyat peace with its neighbours.
At her confirmation hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee including its chairman Paul Wellstone and RepublicanSenator Sam Brownback, she said "Pakistan is a nuclear-capable country of 140 million people. The U.S. has a stronginterest in a stable, democratic and prosperous Pakistan that is at peace with its neighbours
If confirmed as Ambassador, she said, she would work to see that U.S. interests are served and that Pakistan advances. "U.S.and Pakistan," she said, "enjoyed friendly relations for most of Pakistan's 54-year history...Yet our relationship to a large extent revolved around issues focused on third countries,such as the Soviet Union, Afghanistan, and India in the Cold War. It is time to define a relationship with Pakistan
on its own merits."
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Chamberlain said, "Pakistan today faces many serious challenges. It is struggling to revive its economy through implementingreforms and a demanding IMF agreement. It is grappling with both domestic sectarian violence and the instabilityand terrorist culture seeping in from Afghanistan.
"It needs to transition to democracy after a military coup and has pledged to hold regional and provincial elections inOctober 2002."
