News
Saturday, April 14, 2012
US seeks ‘clearly defined’ relationship with Pakistan
* State Department says Washington ‘respects seriousness with which parliament’s review of ties has been conducted’
WASHINGTON: The United States (US) said on Thursday it seeks enduring and well-defined relations with Pakistan after the latter’s parliament backed new guidelines on ties, which ban the transport of arms across its soil to Afghanistan.
State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said the US had “seen that the Pakistani parliament has approved” the 14-point framework for revised terms of engagement with the US and NATO.
“We respect the seriousness with which parliament’s review of US-Pakistan relations has been conducted,” she said in a brief statement.
She also said that Washington looks forward to continuing to engage with Islamabad on the two countries’ shared interests.
“We seek a relationship with Pakistan that is enduring, strategic, and more clearly defined. We look forward to discussing these policy recommendations with the government of Pakistan and continuing to engage with it on our shared interests.”
The US comments came as more than 400 parliamentarians in Islamabad unanimously approved the National Security Committee’s recommendations on the way forward in Pakistan-US relations on Thursday, signalling a new phase in the relationship that was seriously undermined by November 26, 2011 NATO air strikes on Pakistani border posts, claiming lives of 24 Pakistani soldiers.
After the incident - which took place on the heels of a spate of other Afghan war-related controversies including drone strikes in tribal areas - Islamabad closed key Pakistani routes that for ten years supplied US and NATO forces with essential non-lethal items to sustain their mission in landlocked Afghanistan.
Western officials were keen for Islamabad to commit to reopening NATO supply lines closed in the wake of the air strikes before a summit in Chicago next month.
The guidelines did not address the resumption of NATO convoys but said Pakistani territory must not be used for transporting arms and ammunition to Afghanistan. agenciesCourtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk