Tuesday 3 May 2011 12.05 BST
- Article history
David Cameron has said the Islamabad authorities have "lots of questions" to answer over the support given to Osama bin Laden during his stay in Pakistan, but stressed that a "massive row" with Pakistan's political leadership was not in Britain's national interest.
The prime minister said it was important to "engage" with Pakistan and deal with the extremists rather than "throw up one's hands in despair" because the stronger the country's democracy, the more it would work with international partners to combat terrorism.
He urged co-operation with Pakistan on security matters, with his comments coming as the Pakistani president, Asif Ali Zardari, dismissed claims that his country harboured Bin Laden as "baseless speculation" amid disbelief that the authorities were unaware that al-Qaida's leader had been living in an area full of soldiers and close to the country's top military academy.
Cameron said the death of Bin Laden presented several opportunities: to make further aggressive moves against the rest of al-Qaida and defeat the network, to tell the Taliban to "separate itself" from al-Qaida and recognise that insurgency was not the answer and also to say to Pakistan that now was the moment to "really prove" it wants to combat terrorism.
Cameron – who sparked a furious diplomatic row with Pakistan last year after accusing the country of looking "both ways" on terrorism – said that, while many questions needed to be answered, it was in Britain's interest to back democratic forces within Pakistan.
Cameron, who spoke to Zardari and Pakistan's prime minister, Yusuf Raza Gilani, on Monday evening, described the two men as "staunch" in their fight against security threats and said they had done "huge amounts" to try and combat both terrorism and extremism.
He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "There are lots of questions that have to be asked but, in terms of the political leadership of that country, both of whom I spoke to yesterday, what they say ... is that, as far as they were concerned, Bin Laden was a foreigner who had no business being in Pakistan, who brought nothing but misery to their country. That is their strong view."
Describing Pakistan as a country that has suffered more at the hands of terrorism "than any other country on earth", Cameron said he saw his role as making a "big choice" for Britain.
"We could, of course, go down the route of having a massive row with Pakistan," he said. "I assess our relationship with Pakistan and it is my very clear view that it is in our interest to work with the government and the people of Pakistan to combat terrorism and extremism, to help with development in that country.
"If we turn away from it and give up on it and say this is all too difficult and complicated because we don't always get what we want, you are left with a nuclear power in danger of massive extremism and massive instability which completely would not be in our interest."
Zardari denied that Pakistan "lacked vitality" in its fight against terrorism, pointing out that his country was "perhaps the world's greatest victim of terrorism".
Cameron said the death of Bin Laden was "clearly a helpful development" in terms of the military campaign in Afghanistan, but would not necessarily speed the UK's exit.
"I don't think it will necessarily change any timetables, but we should use it as an opportunity to say to the Taliban: now is the time to separate yourself from al-Qaida, to give up your weapons, to accept the basic tenets of the Afghan constitution."
But there were "many more steps" to take towards a political solution, he warned.
The prime minister, who chaired a meeting of the government's Cobra emergency committee on Monday night and will brief MPs in the Commons later on Tuesday, said ministers and officials were making sure all possible intelligence was being gathered "and that we are taking every step to keep people in our country safe".
He compared the Libyan leader, Muammar Gaddafi, with Bin Laden, saying both men "hate the idea of democracy taking hold in the Arab world".
It was important to exploit the connection by ensuring the success of the uprisings in north Africa and the Middle East, he said.
The foreign office minister, Alistair Burt, said people should apply "common sense" and to consult the Foreign Office website before travelling amid fears of reprisal attacks.
Asked to comment on the threat to the UK, Burt told BBC Breakfast: "We have not needed to change the general threat level to UK citizens, but it is just a matter of common sense at the moment.
"There might be places that they would avoid in terms of large crowds, potential demonstrations and things like that.
"We are trying to be sensible and cautious in the light of events yesterday. There is a concern that there might be some form of reprisal, so we have heightened the security around all our embassies and consulates around the world, particularly Afghanistan and Pakistan, but we have nothing to indicate a specific threat."
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