US withdraws NATO supply negotiators from Pakistan
Move points to further strain in troubled Pakistani -
US relations:
US: The United States has withdrawn negotiators from Pakistan after
talks failed to reopen vital NATO supply routes into Afghanistan,
officials said Monday.
The move signaled further strain in troubled Pakistani-US relations
and followed harsh criticism last week from US Defense Secretary Leon
Panetta that saw Pakistan’s army chief refuse to meet a senior Pentagon
official.
The negotiators had been in Pakistan for about six weeks, as US
officials believed they were close to a deal with Islamabad to lift the
blockade.
Pakistan shut its border to NATO supply convoys on November 26 after
a botched US air strike killed 24 Pakistani soldiers.
But no breakthrough was imminent and there was no scheduled date for
a resumption of the talks, Pentagon spokesman George Little told
reporters.
“The decision was reached to bring the team home for a short period
of time,” Little said.
But Washington has not given up on discussions with Islamabad, he
said.
“That’s not to be taken as a sign of our unwillingness to continue
the dialogue with Pakistanis on this issue,” he said, adding the
negotiators are “prepared to return at any moment.” Members of the
negotiating team, which included officials and legal advisers from the
State and Defense departments, started to leave over the weekend and the
remainder would soon return to the United States, Little said.
Pakistan’s army chief, General Ashfaq Kayani, refused last week to
meet senior Pentagon official Peter Lavoy, who traveled to Pakistan to
try to resolve the dispute, officials said.
Lavoy, principal deputy assistant secretary of defense for Asian and
Pacific security affairs, “was hoping to meet with General Kayani to
work through this issue,” Little said.
The roads through Pakistan are a crucial logistical link for NATO as
it plans a withdrawal of most of the remaining 130,000-strong combat
force in Afghanistan, along with vehicles and equipment, by the end of
2014.
But Washington has refused to apologize for the November air raid,
infuriating Pakistan, and US officials have refused to pay several
thousand dollars for each truck crossing the border, as reportedly
demanded by Pakistan.
The White House said an agreement would be reached when Pakistan is
ready.
“Most of the technical agreements have been worked out but there are
still several issues outstanding. We believe that all can be resolved
and we remain ready to conclude this agreement as soon as Pakistan is
ready,” spokesman Jay Carney said. AFP
|