US plans to convert 'Friends of Democratic Pakistan' meeting for post-flood efforts

Washington, Aug 12(ANI): US Special Envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan, Richard Holbrooke, has said that Washington plans to convert the Friends of Democratic Pakistan (FoDP) conference in Brussels into a meeting devoted to post-flood rehabilitation in Pakistan.

The FoDP was formed in New York in 2008 for consolidating democracy in Pakistan, and to support social and economic development in the country.

The founding members states of the group include the US, Britain, France, Germany, China, the United Arab Emirates, Canada, Turkey, Australia and Italy, plus the United Nations and the European Union.

"Pakistan faces an unbelievable combination of problems. I know no other country that faces more challenges," The Dawn quoted Holbrooke, as saying.

"When the water subsides, we have got a monumental reconstruction challenge, bigger than Swat last year - reconstruction cost will exceed the relief effort," he added.

The meeting will be held in October.

He further said that the Obama administration was holding daily emergency meetings to review the situation.

"We know how serious it is. The President (Barack Obama), Secretary (Hillary Clinton) and I know how serious it is, but we have to do some education to inform others," he added.

The emergency meeting, which includes representatives from the White House, the State Department, the Pentagon and NATO, reviews daily situation reports from its embassy in Islamabad. (ANI)