News
Wednesday, August 03, 2011
US wary of curbs on diplomats in Pakistan
WASHINGTON: The United States said on Monday it was making progress toward encouraging Pakistan to lift curbs it said the authorities there had imposed on US diplomats traveling in the country. “There was an incident last week, I believe, where diplomats were prevented from traveling between Islamabad and Peshawar,” State Department deputy spokesman Mark Toner told reporters. He said that diplomats were later able to travel to Peshawar with a certificate, although he insisted the envoys should be able to travel freely in line with the Vienna Convention. “We’re working cooperatively with the government of Pakistan to resolve the issue,” Toner said. Toner also said the Pakistani authorities asked Cameron Munter, the US ambassador to Pakistan, to produce a certificate of permission to travel before boarding a plane to Karachi. He did not have one, but was allowed to travel there anyway, Toner said without specifying whether it amounted to a diplomatic incident. Toner declined to rule out US authorities imposing travel restrictions on Pakistani diplomats traveling within the United States. “Speaking hypothetically or theoretically, reciprocity is always a consideration,” he said. The foreign ministry says the measure is for their safety but a senior US official said it smacked of “harassment.” US embassy spokesman Alberto Rodriguez tried to play down the dispute, saying much of the ire over diplomats’ travel was a “misunderstanding” blown up by the raucous Pakistani media. agencies
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk