News
Friday, June 15, 2012
World pressure mounts on US, Pakistan to end stalemateBy Imdad Hussain
ISLAMABAD: International pressure is mounting on Washington and Islamabad to end their stalemate on the issue of reopening NATO route, said diplomatic sources.
Pakistan and the US are denying that there was international pressure in this connection, nevertheless, they express their desire to strike a deal at the earliest pertaining to opening up what is being technically dubbed as Ground Lines of Communication into Afghanistan that are causing tension between Islamabad and Washington.
When this scribe approached Foreign Office spokesman Moazzam Ahmad Khan, he dispelled the impression that there was any pressure from UK Foreign Secretary William Hague and Danish Foreign Minister Villy Sovndal, who this week visited Islamabad and held meetings with political leadership of the country. Denmark and UK are members of ISAF and NATO.
Being friendly countries of Pakistan and the US, they do worry about the situation and have desired that the two countries should come closer. He said that the international community is concerned about the security and peace in the region and they understand that role of Pakistan and the US is crucial in the area.
“They (Denmark and UK) wished that Pakistan and the US should reach some deal by negotiations and they should sit together to understand each other. But they never put pressure for doing this or that,” he added.
Sources privy to the foreign dignitaries’ meetings with Pakistani officials said that there was a slight difference among the stances of Russia, China and the NATO countries over the issue of NATO supply.
“Even Russia and China don’t encourage the stalemate between the US and Pakistan but say that Islamabad’s stance and steps after the Salala incident were justified.
The sources further said that the pressure is indirect as even the foreign ministers of the NATO countries, who visited Pakistan this week, could not dare to say that Islamabad’s decision of blocking the NATO supply after November’s Salala incident killing 24 Pakistani soldiers was not justified. “The situation itself is an indirect pressure on Washington as well. Moreover, the cost of the supply route through Central Asia is another pressure on it.”
In this connection when asked for his stance, spokesman of the US Embassy in Islamabad, Robert Raines, also denied that there was any sort of pressure on Washington. “But the US desires to reach some deal as soon as possible with Pakistan to end the issue,” he said.
The sources said that the talks and meetings over the issue are continuing after Pentagon called back the negotiating team from Islamabad. “Officials of the US embassy are in constant touch with Pakistan. And now a deal is not far away.”
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk