Showing posts with label Foreign Affairs. Show all posts
July 11, 2012 - Updated 940 PKT
WASHINGTON: Pakistan should get $1.1 billion in US funds that have been held up for months now that Islamabad has reopened crucial Nato supply lines to Afghanistan, top senators said.
A major obstacle to releasing the money was removed last week when Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton apologised to Pakistan for the killing of 24 Pakistani troops last fall and Pakistan, in return, agreed to reopen the overland supply lines to US-led coalition forces.
Congress has already approved the money to reimburse Pakistan for counterterrorism operations, but it has been on hold for some six months.
Armed Services Committee Chairman Carl Levin, D-Michigan, a Democrat and one of the panel’s top Republicans, Lindsey Graham, said the money should be released, albeit reluctantly.
“They don’t deserve it. What they’ve done is presumably earned it by the amount of money they’ve laid out in terms of their anti-terrorist activity and protecting our lines,” Levin told a group of reporters.
He said he would vote to approve the release. The Pentagon intends to submit $1.1 billion in approved requests for reimbursement of money the Pakistan government has spent on counterterrorism operations that were incurred largely along the border.
“If our commanders believe that releasing the funds helps the war effort yes. I don’t want to second guess these people,” Graham said. “Pakistan on a good day is very hard. It is an unreliable ally. You can’t trust them, you can’t abandon them. The biggest beneficiary is the men and women fighting the war. And I want Pakistan to be stable and if the money helps them become more stable, good.
“If you cut the money off, what leverage do you have? There may come a day when we do that, but not yet,” he said. Sen Rand Paul, a Republican, is pushing for a vote later this month to cut off future funds.
That vote is contingent in part on what Pakistan does in the case of Shakil Afridi, the doctor who helped the United States track down Osama bin Laden but was convicted and sentenced to 33 years for high treason.
Afridi ran a vaccination program for the CIA to collect DNA and verify bin Laden’s presence at the compound in Abbottabad where US commandos found and killed the al-Qaeda leader in May 2011.
His appeal trial is scheduled for 19 July. Moira Bagley, a spokeswoman for Paul, said it was unclear whether the Senate would get a vote on the reimbursement money because the funds have been appropriated.
Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Liechi met with Japanese counterpart Koichiro Gemba in Phnom Penh where he "reaffirmed China's principled position" on the islands known as Senkaku in Japanese and Diaoyu in Chinese.
"He stressed that Diaoyu Islands and their affiliated islets have always been China's territory since ancient times, over which China has indisputable sovereignty," said a statement from the Chinese delegation.
June 14, 2012 - Updated 1546 PKT - GEO TV
ISLAMABAD: Foreign Office spokesman Muazzam Khan said Thursday that efforts were underway to mend the strained relationship between Pakistan and the US.
Speaking to reporters during a weekly news briefing, Khan said that the decision to restore the NATO supply route would be made by the political leadership. The FO spokesman dispelled the impression that Pakistan was raising the tariff on the supply route adding that there were several other issues involved.
“Pakistan will not allow its territory to be used as terrorist safe havens,” Khan said.
The FO spokesman also provided details of upcoming talks between Pakistan and India. Talks on Sir Creek would be held on 18-19 June in New Delhi while
Foreign Secretary level talks would be held in July.
The Foreign Ministers of Pakistan and India are also scheduled to meet in July in Islamabad and review the composite dialogue process. Commenting on Siachen, Khan said that both countries understood the importance of this difficult issue and wanted to resolve it.
WANA: Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Parvezy Kayani said Monday that the army was compelled to conduct an operation against militants in South Waziristan.
General Kayani who was visiting South Waziristan said that the no army wanted to fight within its own borders. “The army is concentrating on health and education facilities,” Kayani said.
According to sources, General Kayani inaugurated the Cadet College in South Waziristan following which he met with tribal elders and discussed development and public welfare projects.
COAS Kayani assured the tribal elders of the complete support of the Pakistan army. During a news briefing General Kayani said that with the help of the army 124 welfare projects had been set up in FATA and Malakand. - Geo TV
Pakistan-US ties touched the lowest ebb following the Salala attack that killed 24 soldiers. Source: Geo TV
ISLAMABAD: Deputy Chief of Mission for the US Embassy, Richard Hoagland said Friday that there was no new agreement with Pakistan regarding the reopening of the NATO supply route.
Speaking to the media following the orientation for Fulbright scholarship recipients’, Hoagland said relations were resumed from the point where they had been left in November last year.
Hoagland added that the reopening of the supply route would help eliminate the trust deficit in Pak-US relations.
“There are differences on the issue of Dr Shakil Afridi and the work of US diplomats but these issues were not part of the recent negotiations between the two countries,” Hoagland said. - Source: Geo TV
US senators push for Pak be given $1.1bn
July 11, 2012 - Updated 940 PKT
WASHINGTON: Pakistan should get $1.1 billion in US funds that have been held up for months now that Islamabad has reopened crucial Nato supply lines to Afghanistan, top senators said.
A major obstacle to releasing the money was removed last week when Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton apologised to Pakistan for the killing of 24 Pakistani troops last fall and Pakistan, in return, agreed to reopen the overland supply lines to US-led coalition forces.
Congress has already approved the money to reimburse Pakistan for counterterrorism operations, but it has been on hold for some six months.
Armed Services Committee Chairman Carl Levin, D-Michigan, a Democrat and one of the panel’s top Republicans, Lindsey Graham, said the money should be released, albeit reluctantly.
“They don’t deserve it. What they’ve done is presumably earned it by the amount of money they’ve laid out in terms of their anti-terrorist activity and protecting our lines,” Levin told a group of reporters.
He said he would vote to approve the release. The Pentagon intends to submit $1.1 billion in approved requests for reimbursement of money the Pakistan government has spent on counterterrorism operations that were incurred largely along the border.
“If our commanders believe that releasing the funds helps the war effort yes. I don’t want to second guess these people,” Graham said. “Pakistan on a good day is very hard. It is an unreliable ally. You can’t trust them, you can’t abandon them. The biggest beneficiary is the men and women fighting the war. And I want Pakistan to be stable and if the money helps them become more stable, good.
“If you cut the money off, what leverage do you have? There may come a day when we do that, but not yet,” he said. Sen Rand Paul, a Republican, is pushing for a vote later this month to cut off future funds.
That vote is contingent in part on what Pakistan does in the case of Shakil Afridi, the doctor who helped the United States track down Osama bin Laden but was convicted and sentenced to 33 years for high treason.
Afridi ran a vaccination program for the CIA to collect DNA and verify bin Laden’s presence at the compound in Abbottabad where US commandos found and killed the al-Qaeda leader in May 2011.
His appeal trial is scheduled for 19 July. Moira Bagley, a spokeswoman for Paul, said it was unclear whether the Senate would get a vote on the reimbursement money because the funds have been appropriated.
Respect sovereignty on islands: China
July 11, 2012 - Updated 1424 PKT
PHNOM PENH: China told Japan on Wednesday it should respect Beijing's "indisputable sovereignty" over disputed islands in the East China Sea as tension flared again between the countries.
Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Liechi met with Japanese counterpart Koichiro Gemba in Phnom Penh where he "reaffirmed China's principled position" on the islands known as Senkaku in Japanese and Diaoyu in Chinese.
"He stressed that Diaoyu Islands and their affiliated islets have always been China's territory since ancient times, over which China has indisputable sovereignty," said a statement from the Chinese delegation.
Pak-US trying to mend relations: FO Spokesman
ISLAMABAD: Foreign Office spokesman Muazzam Khan said Thursday that efforts were underway to mend the strained relationship between Pakistan and the US.
Speaking to reporters during a weekly news briefing, Khan said that the decision to restore the NATO supply route would be made by the political leadership. The FO spokesman dispelled the impression that Pakistan was raising the tariff on the supply route adding that there were several other issues involved.
“Pakistan will not allow its territory to be used as terrorist safe havens,” Khan said.
The FO spokesman also provided details of upcoming talks between Pakistan and India. Talks on Sir Creek would be held on 18-19 June in New Delhi while
Foreign Secretary level talks would be held in July.
The Foreign Ministers of Pakistan and India are also scheduled to meet in July in Islamabad and review the composite dialogue process. Commenting on Siachen, Khan said that both countries understood the importance of this difficult issue and wanted to resolve it.
South Waziristan operation was a compulsion: COAS
General Kayani who was visiting South Waziristan said that the no army wanted to fight within its own borders. “The army is concentrating on health and education facilities,” Kayani said.
According to sources, General Kayani inaugurated the Cadet College in South Waziristan following which he met with tribal elders and discussed development and public welfare projects.
COAS Kayani assured the tribal elders of the complete support of the Pakistan army. During a news briefing General Kayani said that with the help of the army 124 welfare projects had been set up in FATA and Malakand. - Geo TV
Pak-US ties
Pakistan-US ties touched the lowest ebb following the Salala attack that killed 24 soldiers. Source: Geo TV
No new agreement with Pakistan on NATO supply: Hoagland
ISLAMABAD: Deputy Chief of Mission for the US Embassy, Richard Hoagland said Friday that there was no new agreement with Pakistan regarding the reopening of the NATO supply route. Speaking to the media following the orientation for Fulbright scholarship recipients’, Hoagland said relations were resumed from the point where they had been left in November last year.
Hoagland added that the reopening of the supply route would help eliminate the trust deficit in Pak-US relations.
“There are differences on the issue of Dr Shakil Afridi and the work of US diplomats but these issues were not part of the recent negotiations between the two countries,” Hoagland said. - Source: Geo TV
