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Saturday, January 22, 2011
Obama admin working with Congress on trade access for Pakistan: Crowley* Assistant secretary says discussion with Islamabad on textiles issue continues
WASHINGTON: The Obama administration is discussing a long-awaited preferrential trade access programme for Pakistan with the new Congress as it believes bolstering economic growth is key to the South Asian country’s future development.
“The issue of textiles is an area that we have discussed and continue to discuss with Pakistan,” Philip J Crowley, the assistant secretary of state for public affairs, said at a briefing when asked about Islamabad’s quest for greater access for its textile products to the US market.
Crowley said the administration is “supportive of the concept of the reconstruction opportunity zones, as they “are called, and continue to have dialogue with the Congress on that issue”.
The trade programme has been around for several years but could not see legislative progress last year due to domestic American differences over related issues. The designated zones, to be established in Pakistan and Afghanistan under the programme, would be able to have duty-free export of products to the US.
Under the strategic dialogue, Pakistan has been seeking quick progress on the ROZs legislation on Capitol Hill so that it can provide economic opportunity to the young people as well as spur the country’s exports.
The assistant secretary acknowledged that “helping Pakistan develop and prosper in the future, helping the government grow the economy of Pakistan will be vitally important.” “There is a security dimension to the challenge represented by the extremism that is a threat to Pakistan and a threat to others. But a great deal of the challenge is in expanding economic opportunity throughout Pakistan, including the tribal areas between Pakistan and Afghanistan.”
Washington, he noted, attaches importance to balancing the US assistance for Pakistan.
“We have a longstanding military relationship with Pakistan, and we continue to work on how we can best support Pakistan so that it, in turn, can defeat the extremism.” app
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk