*Source: DTN News / Int'l Media
(NSI News Source Info) WASHINGTON, US - October 14, 2009: U.S. lawmakers and the Obama administration sought on Tuesday to allay concerns in Pakistan over conditions tied to billions of dollars in non-military U.S. aid but 
made clear the legislation would not be changed.
Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, who was in Washington last week applauding the $7.5 billion aid plan, was back on Capitol Hill on Tuesday after his country's military protested against the bill, which links some funds to fighting militants and is seen by critics as violating sovereignty.
Qureshi's return underscores mistrust over U.S. intentions in Pakistan and the rift between its fragile civilian government and the military leadership that has ruled the South Asian nation for more than half of its 62-year history.
The United States is the biggest aid donor to nuclear-armed Pakistan and needs its help in hunting al Qaeda leaders and stopping Islamist militants from crossing the border into Afghanistan to fight U.S.-led forces there.
U.S. lawmakers, while sympathetic to delicate Pakistani politics, made clear conditions attached to the aid, which still has to be appropriated by Congress, could not be eased.
But Senator John Kerry, one of the authors of the bill, said an attempt would be made in the next 24 hours to clarify in writing some of the terms that he described as not having been characterized accurately "in some quarters."
"The bill doesn't have to be changed," Kerry said after meeting Qureshi. "If there is a misinterpretation, it simply has to be clarified."
A congressional aide said the Senate and House of Representatives foreign affairs committees would issue a "joint explanatory statement" on Wednesday laying out what was in the legislation. The bill, which Kerry said was designed as a "true sign of friendship" for Pakistan, provides for $1.5 billion in non-military aid over the next five years.
Reiterating that the bill did not impinge on Pakistani sovereignty, Kerry said he was confident "we will not only be able to adequately address the concerns that have been raised in Pakistan but we will provide a clarity that has force of law."
SOVEREIGNTY CONCERNS
Qureshi said he had conveyed to Kerry the sovereignty worries raised in Pakistan's parliament and said these fears needed to be addressed.
"We are going to work on it collectively to give it the correct interpretation," Qureshi said.
In the House, a spokesman for one of the appropriations subcommittees made clear the aid would be subject to annual review.
"The amount and type of assistance Pakistan receives will continue to be determined on a yearly basis by the performance of the Pakistanis in fighting al Qaeda, strict accountability of funding, and the fiscal realities facing our nation," said Matt Dennis, a spokesman for Representative Nita Lowey, chair of the State and Foreign Operations appropriations subcommittee.
Before going to Capitol Hill, Qureshi met the U.S. special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, Richard Holbrooke, and later met national security advisor James Jones.
White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said President Barack Obama saw the legislation as an important step forward and planned to sign the bill "soon."
Several congressional sources expected the signing to take place on Wednesday but the White House could not confirm this.
"I think the opponents of this bill ... are misinformed or are characterizing this in a different way for their own political purposes," Gibbs told reporters.
Former U.S. Ambassador to Pakistan Wendy Chamberlin said tensions over the aid package underlined the "trust deficit" between the two countries. She said there needed to be strong diplomatic efforts to resolve this.
Pakistan expert Alex Thier said, just as in the United States, Pakistan's political leaders needed to balance their need for U.S. economic support with popular backing.
"This looks very dangerous, not only to the military, but also expands this narrative that the U.S. is trying to micromanage Pakistani security," said Thier of the U.S. Institute of Peace.
made clear the legislation would not be changed.
Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, who was in Washington last week applauding the $7.5 billion aid plan, was back on Capitol Hill on Tuesday after his country's military protested against the bill, which links some funds to fighting militants and is seen by critics as violating sovereignty.
Qureshi's return underscores mistrust over U.S. intentions in Pakistan and the rift between its fragile civilian government and the military leadership that has ruled the South Asian nation for more than half of its 62-year history.
The United States is the biggest aid donor to nuclear-armed Pakistan and needs its help in hunting al Qaeda leaders and stopping Islamist militants from crossing the border into Afghanistan to fight U.S.-led forces there.
U.S. lawmakers, while sympathetic to delicate Pakistani politics, made clear conditions attached to the aid, which still has to be appropriated by Congress, could not be eased.
But Senator John Kerry, one of the authors of the bill, said an attempt would be made in the next 24 hours to clarify in writing some of the terms that he described as not having been characterized accurately "in some quarters."
"The bill doesn't have to be changed," Kerry said after meeting Qureshi. "If there is a misinterpretation, it simply has to be clarified."
A congressional aide said the Senate and House of Representatives foreign affairs committees would issue a "joint explanatory statement" on Wednesday laying out what was in the legislation. The bill, which Kerry said was designed as a "true sign of friendship" for Pakistan, provides for $1.5 billion in non-military aid over the next five years.
Reiterating that the bill did not impinge on Pakistani sovereignty, Kerry said he was confident "we will not only be able to adequately address the concerns that have been raised in Pakistan but we will provide a clarity that has force of law."
SOVEREIGNTY CONCERNS
Qureshi said he had conveyed to Kerry the sovereignty worries raised in Pakistan's parliament and said these fears needed to be addressed.
"We are going to work on it collectively to give it the correct interpretation," Qureshi said.
In the House, a spokesman for one of the appropriations subcommittees made clear the aid would be subject to annual review.
"The amount and type of assistance Pakistan receives will continue to be determined on a yearly basis by the performance of the Pakistanis in fighting al Qaeda, strict accountability of funding, and the fiscal realities facing our nation," said Matt Dennis, a spokesman for Representative Nita Lowey, chair of the State and Foreign Operations appropriations subcommittee.
Before going to Capitol Hill, Qureshi met the U.S. special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, Richard Holbrooke, and later met national security advisor James Jones.
White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said President Barack Obama saw the legislation as an important step forward and planned to sign the bill "soon."
Several congressional sources expected the signing to take place on Wednesday but the White House could not confirm this.
"I think the opponents of this bill ... are misinformed or are characterizing this in a different way for their own political purposes," Gibbs told reporters.
Former U.S. Ambassador to Pakistan Wendy Chamberlin said tensions over the aid package underlined the "trust deficit" between the two countries. She said there needed to be strong diplomatic efforts to resolve this.
Pakistan expert Alex Thier said, just as in the United States, Pakistan's political leaders needed to balance their need for U.S. economic support with popular backing.
"This looks very dangerous, not only to the military, but also expands this narrative that the U.S. is trying to micromanage Pakistani security," said Thier of the U.S. Institute of Peace.
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