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Saturday, September 03, 2011
Pakistan, US struggle to define their relationshipISLAMABAD: In the aftermath of the secret US raid to kill Osama bin Laden, Pakistani officials want a detailed agreement spelling out US rules of engagement inside Pakistan, officials in both countries say, but Washington’s refusal to sign a binding document threatens to create another point of friction in the long-troubled relationship.
Pakistan military officials want the US to sign what is called a “memorandum of understanding,” an agreement they want to include such details as the number of CIA operatives working in Pakistan, notification before US drone strikes, intelligence gathered and a written promise about Pakistan’s role if al Qaeda’s new leader, Ayman al Zawahri, is found in Pakistan.
“There can be no more gray areas,” said a senior Pakistani military official who, like others, spoke on the condition of anonymity because they are not permitted to speak publicly about diplomatic negotiations.
The surge in trouble this year between Pakistan and the US began with the February killing of two Pakistanis by Raymond Davis, a CIA-contracted American spy working without Pakistan’s knowledge.
Davis pleaded self-defence but it took weeks of wrangling before he was released in exchange for “blood money” paid to the dead men’s relatives. The bin Laden raid further infuriated the Pakistani military, which saw it as a violation of Pakistani sovereignty, and it now feels it needs the agreement to ensure it would be involved in — or be able to stop — any similar US attacks in the future.
The agreement would also allay fears in Islamabad that the CIA is operating behind Pakistan’s back, and shore up the military’s reputation, which was badly battered when the US helicopters slipped into Pakistan air space undetected for the bin Laden attack.
But former and current American officials say the US will not commit any specifics to paper because it could limit the flexibility of its operations.
Instead, the US is preparing a broad statement of principles that could be completed in the coming weeks. “There will not be a (memorandum of understanding) covering all aspects of the relationship with annexes spelling out permitted behaviours,” said a senior US official. “There is, however, the possibility of a brief bilateral statement of principles that would identify common interests and goals.”
Another senior US official said that while Pakistan would not get all the information it wants about US intelligence operations, it gets much more than Washington gives most other countries.
Similar negotiations are taking place between the US and Afghanistan, with Afghan officials seeking detailed guarantees on the future of US troops and aid, but Americans insisting on a vague agreement.
In Pakistan, the US is negotiating with the civilian government, it’s not clear whether the country’s powerful military establishment would veto a broad statement of principles.
John Brennan, President Obama’s chief counterterrorism adviser, said the US wanted to “work as closely as possible with the Pakistanis...and we’re doing that on a regular basis.”
He downplayed reports of friction. “There’s a lot of things that come out in certain places that, I think, overstate the extent of displeasure in certain areas,” he told The Associated Press in an interview. “I’ll leave it at that.” Relations between Pakistan’s spy agency, the ISI, which falls under the military command, and the CIA hit rock bottom after the bin Laden raid.
Pakistanis were particularly angered by then-CIA Director Leon Panetta’s stinging comments the ISI was either incompetent or complicit in not finding bin Laden, who was hiding not far from Islamabad.
Two senior Pakistani officials, including a former security officer, said Panetta sought to assuage Pakistan Army Chief General Ashfaq Pervez Kayani with an apology following those statements. ap
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk