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US envoy sees more 'rough' times with Pakistan
NEW YORK: The US ambassador to Pakistan predicted Monday that relations between the war partners will remain rocky but pledged greater effort to ensure that ordinary Pakistanis feel the fruits of US aid.
"I want to be straightforward about this. This has been a rough year for our time with Pakistan and the difficulties that we've faced, the difficulties in the relationship, are going to continue," Munter said at the Asia Society.
"If I give myself a report card for the last year, C or D," he said.
Munter said that the United States will now put a priority on boosting Pakistan's energy supply, a major concern in a country with frequent blackouts and a rapidly growing population.
"We're going to push hard in energy and it's going to cost a fair amount of American money, but it's an investment in something that everyone in that country is going to feel," he said.
Despite the problems in relations, Munter credited US diplomacy with helping ease tensions between Pakistan and India.
"We have been very supportive, and I think successful, in a quiet way in
helping our Pakistani friends open up to India," Munter said. (AFP)
Courtesy www.geo.tv