The rift between the US and Pakistan deepened on Monday as the NATO summit in Chicago broke up without a deal on Afghanistan supply routes.
Barack Obama, at a press conference to wind up the summit, made no attempt to conceal his exasperation, issuing a pointed warning to Pakistan that it was in its wider interest to work with the US to avoid being “consumed” by extremists.
Seldom in recent years have the tensions between Washington and Islamabad been on public show to the extent as at the Chicago, overshadowing the two-day Nato summit, the Guardian in a report said Tuesday.
The main point of friction is Pakistan’s closure of Nato supply routes to Afghanistan in protest over drone attacks and a US air strike in November that killed two dozen Pakistani troops.
Obama refused to make time during the two-day summit to see the Pakistan president Asif Ali Zardari for a face-to-face bilateral meeting. In a press conference, Obama made a point of stressing that the only exchange he had with his Pakistani counterpart was short. “Very brief, as we were walking into the summit,” Obama said.
The US president said he “did not want to paper over the cracks” and that there has been tension between the US-led international force in Afghanistan and Pakistan over the last few months.
But ultimately, it was in the US interest to have a stable, democratic and prosperous Pakistan, Obama said, adding it was in the interest of Pakistan to work with the US to ensure it is not consumed by extremists.
There are fears in the US that the Pakistan government is unstable and that the government could fall, to be replaced by hardliners. The risk for Obama in displaying his annoyance with Pakistan at the Chicago summit is that Zardari could leave the summit feeling humiliated and even less willing to play a positive role over Afghanistan, the newspaper commented.
Obama declined to meet Zadari one-to-one because Pakistan is refusing to re-open its Afghanistan border to Nato, which means the US and others are having to resupply their military forces through the slower and more expensive routes from the north and Russia.
The president claimed that he never anticipated the Pakistan supply line issue being resolved at the summit and, taking a more optimistic view of the stand-off, he said they were making “diligent progress”.
“We think that Pakistan has to be part of the solution in Afghanistan. Neither country is going to have the kind of security, stability and prosperity that it needs unless they can resolve some of these outstanding issues,” Obama said.
The British prime minister, David Cameron, at a press conference in Chicago, reflected the irritation with Pakistan, describing the blocked routes as “frustrating”. Cameron said he expected a deal eventually but not at the summit.
In its final communique, Nato formally committed to its withdrawal of the 130,000-strong force from Afghanistan based on a timetable agreed earlier by Obama and Karzai. All international combat troops would be withdrawn by the end of 2014. But the communique said a smaller force would remain to help “train, advise and assist” the Afghan army.
The communique does not say how many troops will be left but US commanders in Kabul are looking at a Nato force of around 15,000-20,000. Reflecting the public mood in Nato countries tired of the war, the comminque said the withdrawal timetable is “irreversible”.
Obama, at the opening of the second day of the Nato summit on Monday morning, showed his displeasure with the Pakistan government by singling out for mention the Central Asia countries and Russia that have stepped in to replace the Pakistan supply route and made no mention of Pakistan. Zardari was in the room at the time.
To ram home the point, the US defence secretary, Leon Panetta, also held a meeting at the Nato summit with senior ministers from Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. Panetta expressed his “deep appreciation” for their support.
Zardari has demanded an apology from the US for the killing of the 24 Pakistani troops in November in return for reopening supply lines. He is also proposing that the tariff for each vehicle be raised from $250 to $5,000. The US is bitter about this, noting the amount of American military and other aid that goes to Pakistan annually.
Barack Obama, better mind your own business as your policies have already consumed the United States of America.
As for Pakistan you can't scare us of extremists.
Firstly, America is the biggest extremist this planet has ever witnessed and secondly, Pakistan has successfully survived through all intrigues of sectarianism, suicide waves, drone attacks, civil and military sanctions & other all types of conspiracies, perpetuated by your country, to destabalize us.
Pakistan has even progressed, on it's own, to the extent that it's a nuclear power today.
So keep your advice for your own country and see if, you can manage to take it out from bankruptcy.
Soooo many brave words made by young,immature,rebel want to be,Pakistani officials and/or citizens.
Please keep resisting Pakistan,Keep resisting with your narrow,single minded,one way crumbling fake spirit..Please keep telling us just how much we are the Devil and you are the voices of reason.Tell us how mighty yo can be and how the entire western hemisphere will be destroyed by your mighty perfect (in every ways) civilization
Please be like the awesome in-penetrable Republican Guard of Irak or the ww2 Nazi's, We beg you to maintain friendly relations with rebel terrorist in the name of HALLAH or WHAT EVER GOD'S you believe in..
You ragheads whant it ??
You will get it !!
We won't bomb you guy's,because that is what you want,nop we will choke your economy,isolate you at the United Nations,making alliances with your so-called friends,and when nothing,not a single soul,product,would be able to get in or out of your ohh Mighty city's,and you will have no more resources other than your cows or goats or (what ever animals you retarded,primitive,minimalist people are in adulation with)
Then,,just then,you will have to face a coalition of about 40 to 50 nations at your doorsteps and they will re-arrange your curry buffet from an altitude that non of you ever thought possible of.
So there you go,,get rid of a few criminals on your own and get with the program or,,be All you can be and face the entire planet,the choice is yours but be careful your so called friends will never go against the wave,they are to smart for that,THEY CAN SEE THE BIG PICTURE. .(a concept you wouldn't or couldn't understand anyway)
Personally I would love to see a warlord free Pakistan,a proud and modern unified Pakistan empire,peaceful and free with rules and regulations but right now I only have 2 words for you,,,BAR SOAP,,clean up your act,clean up your streets,take showers,EVERYDAY,,and join us or be brave and forgotten
A westerner like many others
Brave enough to reveal my identity,unlike you yellow criminals..
S.Duffy
Montreal
Canada
Pakistan is causing tensions to the whole world.Why everyone wants apology for 24 soldiers killed?who will apologies to who for 400000 innocent Pakistanis killed inside Pakistan.What ISI has done what judiciary and military is doing about it.When this Jihadi Fasad will be over.Why Pakistan is in fast reverse mode.Where these generals want to take us
Pls visit :www.mullahmilitarymilitantsandjudiciary.blogspot.com
Pakistan is causing tensions to the whole world.Why everyone wants apology for 24 soldiers killed?who will apologies to who for 400000 innocent Pakistanis killed inside Pakistan.What ISI has done what judiciary and military is doing about it.When this Jihadi Fasad will be over.Why Pakistan is in fast reverse mode.Where these generals want to take us http://www.mullahmilitarymilitantsandjudiciary.bl…
the above post from nazo is really annoying,,, Jihad is never fasad…its a 100 percent sure solution to end fasad and end injustice,,,plz mind your language
Comments are closed.