US hesitant to tender apology over NATO strike

In response to a strong demand by Pakistan, the US is hesitant to tender an unconditional apology over the NATO airstrikes on Pakistani border posts that killed two dozen soldiers in November, which could cast a dark shadow on crucial talks between President’s Obama Special Envoy Marc Grossman and Pakistani leadership scheduled for tomorrow (Thursday) and may further delay the reopening of NATO supply routes.
US Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan Marc Grossman is expected to arrive today (Wednesday) to hold talks with President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani, Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar and Army Chief General Ashfaq Kayani.
On Thursday, Ambassador Grossman will participate in the ‘trilateral core group’ meeting of US, Pakistan and Afghanistan at the Foreign Ministry.
The main purpose of Grossman’s visit and his talks with Pakistani leaders is to do away with the deadlock between Islamabad and Washington over the US apology over the Salala attack and the reopening of NATO supply routes.
The Obama administration was willing to tender an apology last month over NATO airstrikes and the killing of 24 Pakistani soldiers, but Islamabad asked it to put off this important move until the parliamentary review of Pakistan-US ties was completed.
“However, the burning of copies of holy Quran in Afghanistan and an apology by President Obama to the Afghan government and people changed the whole situation with American officials deciding not to tender another apology in a short span of few weeks,” said a Pakistani diplomat, seeking anonymity.
He said since President Obama had to make his re-election bid later this year, democrats felt that a second public apology in a matter of few days and weeks could seriously harm the incumbent president’s election’s campaign.
He, nonetheless, said that the US would have to tender that apology as Pakistan had made it clear that without that move by Washington, resumption of NATO supplies would not be possible.
“Pakistan has given its list of demands to US after the recent joint session of parliament, which included an apology over attack on its border posts and halt to drone strikes. If the US is not willing to stop drone attacks, then what else it could give to Pakistan except to tender an apology over the Salala incident,” the diplomat said. Another Pakistani official said Ambassador Grossman would also lead the US delegation in talks at trilateral core group meeting with Foreign Secretary Jalil Abbas Jilani heading the Pakistani team and the deputy foreign minister of Afghanistan representing his country.
He said the core group meeting was an important development in the context of ongoing reconciliation process between the US, Afghan government and the Taliban and since it was being held after a long while owing to stalemate in Pakistan-US ties so authorities in the three capitals attached great important to those talks.
“The important feature of core group meeting would be the talks on possible role that Pakistan could play in persuading the Taliban to enter into meaningful peace talks with the United States,” the official said.