NATO supply restored on basis of reconciliation: FO

Pakistan on Thursday again made it clear that restoration of NATO supplies had been made possible on the basis of reconciliation, however, no formal agreement had been made.
During the Foreign Office’s weekly press briefing, spokesman Muazzam Khan said the decision to reopen the NATO supply route was made in national interest and US had apologised by accepting Pakistan’s stance. “We have to take along the entire international community, we can’t afford opposition of 50 countries,” he said.
“NATO supply trucks have started entering Afghanistan as Pakistan ended the seven month blockade of the route but we have not given permission for the transport of lethal weapons,” Khan said. Asked about the rules and regulations under which the route was restored, the spokesman said Pakistan restored the NATO supply on old conditions and talks were on with the US for settling other matters.
He said the opening of NATO supply route was a new beginning of bilateral relationships. He said NATO supply route was not only in the interest of US, but also beneficial for other countries that had good relations with Pakistan. The spokesman dispelled the impression that Pakistan was raising the tariff on the supply route, adding that there were several other issues involved.
Khan hoped the US would clear all dues of Pakistan under the Coalition Support Fund (CSF).
He said that US had assured Islamabad that it would respect Pakistan’s sovereignty in the future. Regarding foreign secretary-level dialogue with India, the FO spokesman said if India gave us information, we had full right to investigate it.
Refuting India’s blame game on Pakistan on Abu Jundal concerning Pakistani passport, he brushed aside all rumors in this regard. He again made it clear that no Pakistani institution was involved in sponsoring terrorism, stating that terrorists were common enemies of both countries. “We must make concerted efforts to wipe out the menace of terrorism and extremism as terrorists can harm both countries,” he said. Khan added that Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar would represent Pakistan at Donors Conference to be held in Tokyo. She will leave for Japan on Friday (today).