Obama won’t offer formal apology yet: NYT

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Hussain
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The White House has decided that President Obama will not offer formal condolences — at least for now — to Pakistan for the deaths of two dozen soldiers in NATO airstrikes last week, overruling State Department officials who argued for such a show of remorse to help salvage America’s relationship with Pakistan, administration officials said.
On Monday, Cameron Munter, the US ambassador to Pakistan, told a group of White House officials that a formal video statement from Obama was needed to help prevent the rapidly deteriorating relations between Islamabad and Washington from cratering, administration officials said, the New York Times reported. The ambassador, speaking by videoconference from Islamabad, said that anger in Pakistan had reached a fever pitch and that the United States needed to move to defuse it as quickly as possible, the officials recounted.
Defense Department officials balked. While they did not deny some American culpability in the episode, they said expressions of remorse offered by senior department officials and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton were enough, at least until the completion of a United States military investigation establishing what went wrong. On Wednesday, White House officials said Obama was unlikely to say anything further on the matter in the coming days. “The US government has offered its deepest condolences for the loss of life, from the White House and from Secretary Clinton and Secretary (of Defence Leon E) Panetta,” said Tommy Vietor, spokesman for the National Security Council. “And we are conducting an investigation into the incident. We cannot offer additional comment on the circumstances of the incident until we have the results,” he added.
Some former Obama administration officials said the president should make public remarks on the border episode, including a formal apology. “Without some effective measures of defusing this issue, Pakistan will cooperate less rather than more with us, and we won’t be able to achieve our goals in Afghanistan,” said Vali Reza Nasr, a former State Department official who specialised in Pakistan.
CLINTON: Clinton also expressed regret on behalf of the American people at the loss of lives in the Mohmand tragedy and urged Pakistan to play its due role in the Afghan peace process by participating in the Bonn Conference.
MUNTER: Meanwhile, in a video message released by the US embassy on Thursday, US Ambassador to Pakistan Cameron Munter expressed condolences on the NATO attack last week that killed 24 Pakistani soldiers in Mohmand Agency. “I would like to extend my most sincere condolences to the people and government of Pakistan and especially to Pakistan’s men and women in uniform, for the tragic incident that occurred on November 26 in Mohmand Agency. My thoughts and prayers are with the families of the men who died. Hamey bohat afsos hay.
“Pakistan and the United States have stood together for over 60 years. We have weathered previous crises together. I am certain we will weather this one, too, and emerge – together – as stronger partners.
“We take this matter very seriously and pledge to you a full, in-depth investigation. I want to emphasise to the people of Pakistan my personal commitment to do all I can to make sure that we emerge from the tragic incident as stronger partners,” Munter said.

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35 COMMENTS

  1. Very strange to expect from US for a 'sorry' on recent Nato action against Pakistan. We have not earned that much respect so that our demand may get fulfilment from US, because we always begging for dollars. First we have to make our own house in order.

  2. US are a bully in this planet. History tells us Time will come when when these God acting individuals will fall on grounds face down. To them only western lives mean anything. Pitty is Pakistani lives aren't even dear to it's own leaders. pak mindset must change & it needs to stand for it's people nothing else.

  3. Mr President,

    We wait for the outcome of the Clark Inquiry in this matter. It may not be out of place to mention that previous joint inquires left many unanswered questions.

    Many thanks,

    Yours Truly,
    Truly Speaking.

  4. This president is Black and also has an honorary black skull cap and reserved place by the western wall in Israel.

  8. time has come to suppotr left wing politics in pakistan bcz our leadership is palm dancer of america so as a nation v hav to prove how exist without american aid v would have to sacrifice by prefering death from appetite than to live by using american aid according to the Mowzy Tang policy in china during the chinese revolution rule on your ownself by producing from your own laaaaaaaaaaaand……!

    • why would they be apologizing… they will call it justice or the prevention they rook for their OWN so CALLED SECURITY

    • That is a typical mind set of interior Punjab & rural Sindh.

      This is a coconut we are dealing with. Shame on my Mr Coconut.

      Being in US does not mean you forget your parentage.

    • Except in this case, the master himself has no clothes. He is begging China for… just about everything.

  23. well we dont need his apologies… Even if they gave a fake apology , it cant be payback of the human loss Pakistan has suffered so far.

  25. Bravo, President Obama! No need to apologize, the talebans often have been firing using pak army soldiers as shields. Next time, when talebans decides to fire using pak soildiers as shields, the soldiers should duck in trenches, when nato returns fire.

  27. USA Terrorist who is responsible for killings millions of muslims around the world in past one decade, and you are expecting an apology from killer the biggest terrorist of recent history.. ??

    Hai tumhein un say wafa ki umeed, jo nahi jantay wafa kaya hai..!!!

  28. Fact is, India was in the Soviet block quite openly during 50s, 60s and 70s. Whereas Pakistan was allied with US throughout its history. Heck, we paid the heaviest price during Afghan-Soviet war and then later during the civil war by absorbing the Afghan refugees.

    And what do we get in return? Well we got the great betrayal in 71 to begin with. Now our leadership is reduced to taking dictation from Washington on Iran-Pakistan pipeline.

    So what do we expect from Mr. Obomba?

    British Raj is gone, now welcome to American Raj, my friends!

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