Kabul, Afghanistan - U.S. Senator John Kerry warned relations Sunday that already precarious U.S. - Pakistan have reached a critical moment as calls grow United States to remove some of the billions of dollars in aid to Islamabad after the assassination of al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden.
Kerry, who spoke in Afghanistan before going to Pakistan, said sobre discussion and serious was necessary to resolve the gap growing growth to suspect that Pakistan's security forces were complicit by hosting the leader of al-Qaedawho was killed May 2 in a raid by U.S. Navy SEALs not far from Islamabad.
For its part, Pakistan is angry that he did not say on the Abbottabad raid until after it was completed. That prompted charges of violation of its sovereignty.
Kerry - influential Chairman of the Committee of the Senate Foreign Relations and the highest us official to visit Pakistan since the raid has product - sounded an optimistic tone.
"I believe that for the moment, that we want to be optimistic, optimistic that we can work our way through this, cross this hiccup, and find a positive way forward," he said.
But he said that patience was running thin in Washington after that that he has discovered that the leader of the terror living for years in a compound in a military garrison town which includes the equivalent of Pakistan from West Point.
"I believe that the most important here is not step into a pointing finger recrimination, accuser back and forth.". The important thing is to understand that the important and significant events took place in the last days have a profound impact on what we have called the war against terrorism, a profound impact on our relationship as a result, "Kerry said to journalists in the Afghan capital.
He added that "we must find a way to walk forward if possible." "If it is not possible, there is a set of consequences disadvantage that can be profound." It was not specified.
There are growing calls in the House and the Senate to cut billions of dollars in aid to Pakistan.
"It is no secret that there are members of Congress who have made an appeal to a change in the program", said Kerry.
Kerry, a Massachusetts Democrat, was one of the most important visits to Pakistan by an American officer of the years.
In an indication of the seriousness of the visit, President Pakistan Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister of Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani and army General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani Chief met in advance of the arrival of the Kerry later Sunday.
Much is at stake. The United States need cooperation of Pakistan if it wants to find a solution to the war in Afghanistan and to contribute to a process of reconciliation who wishes to mode a non-military solution to the insurgency of the Taliban. It must also military assistance of Pakistan against the insurgents with its lawless tribal areas to stage attacks against the Americans, coalition and Afghan forces.
It must also ensure that Pakistani nuclear weapons without succumbing to rise of Islamic extremism and its own tenacious insurgency, which has claimed the lives of thousands of soldiers and civilians.
Pakistan also has much to lose. Its failing economy desperately need American foreign aid and other. Since 2002, Pakistan has received more than 20 billion dollars of the United States, making the country one of the most important to the United States, the beneficiaries of aid according to the Congressional Research Service. Approximately $ 9 billion which has been in the form of reimbursements of expenses of Pakistan support the military campaign led by the United States in Afghanistan.
Kerry, who has been a supporter of Pakistan, in the past spent the weekend at the meeting of the Afghanistan with the Afghan President Hamid Karzai, his Cabinet and the military responsible for United States continue the campaign against the insurgency.
Although he praised Pakistani help in the past, including the staff of the US intelligence services to operate in Pakistan, which allowed - which said had helped the United States follow the bin Ladens - it also says concerned by some of the actions of Pakistan.
Kerry said that during to a visit to Khost province, located on the eastern border with Pakistan, he was informed of the Taliban and insurgents refuge just next to border North Waziristan, used to launch attacks. The Pakistani army has so far not gone after the refuge.
"Yes, he y insurgents coming across the border," Kerry said. "Yes, they are operating from North Waziristan and other areas of the shrines." And Yes, there is evidence of knowledge of Government of Pakistan of some of these activities in a manner to is very disturbing. This will be without any question one of the topics of conversation. ?
But he also said that the death of Osama bin Laden can present a new opportunity for reconciliation with the Taliban in Afghanistan.
Kerry travel comes also the growth condemnation of the U.S. raid and frequent Pakistani leaders drone strikes, military officials, the Parliament and Islamic extremists.
Parliament has threatened to stop the United States supply convoys and NATO if the strikes continued.
A hard eminent leader with alleged links with the militants has attracted at least 4,000 people at a rally in the city of Lahore, Pakistan on Sunday in support of bin Laden and against the United States.
Hafiz Saeed, the leader of the Jamaat-ud-Dawa, called bin Laden a martyr and required links the break with the United States Government of Pakistan to kill.
Jamaat-ud-Dawa is supposed to be a front for the militant group Lashkar-e-Taiba, which is suspected of conducting a series of attacks in the Indian city of Mumbai in 2008 which killed 166 people.
No comments:
Post a Comment