NATO supplies, military bills: Pakistan, US agree on new framework

[Devil Soul]

Reopening NATO supply lines: US ready to offer more compensation
By Kamran Yousaf
Published: March 31, 2012
ISLAMABAD: The United States has agreed to pay compensation and additional taxes on Nato supplies passing through Pakistan in a move that indicates Washington’s eagerness to end the blockade of the vital supply line for coalition troops stationed in Afghanistan.
Washington conveyed its willingness to accept Islamabad’s demand at recent talks between the civil and military leadership of the two countries, confirmed Pakistani and American officials, requesting anonymity due to the sensitivity of the issue.
An American diplomat familiar with the development disclosed that Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani’s recent interaction with US President Barak Obama at the Seoul summit, and talks between the top military commanders of the two countries produced positive results on key issues.
“The meetings were extremely productive and clearly the two sides now have a better understanding of each other’s views,” the diplomat said, adding that the US was ready to pay compensation for the damage caused to infrastructure in the country by Nato containers and also an additional transit fee that Pakistan was seeking to impose on goods.
According to the National Highway Authority (NHA), Nato containers use the N-5 National Highway from Karachi to Torkham and N-25 from Karachi to Chaman, when supplying goods to forces stationed in Afghanistan. NHA estimates put the damage caused to the country’s infrastructure by Nato trucks at close to Rs120 billion.
An all-party and bicameral panel, which prepared recommendations to reset ties with the US, has asked the government to seek funds from Washington as compensation for the repair and maintenance of damaged infrastructure.
“Even if we pay compensation and additional taxes, Pakistan still is the cheapest and most viable option for Nato supplies,” said an American official.
Washington is keen to get the supplies moving again because it is much more expensive to ship goods by an alternative route that runs through Central Asia. The supply line through Pakistan is also vital for the US when it pulls out equipment from Afghanistan as its combat troops are due to withdraw from the country by the end of 2014.
Deadlock persists on drones
While there has been progress on the issue of Nato supplies, the two sides have hit an impasse on drone strikes inside the country’s tribal belt. The US, though, has shown willingness to discuss a new framework for the use of Predator strikes but ruled out the possibility of abandoning the CIA-led campaign.
“There is a zero-tolerance on drones, there is not even a remote possibility that the Obama administration will review this policy,” said another American official.
He revealed that Pakistan had offered to use precision guided F-16s as an alternative to the drone attacks to take out ‘high value’ targets in the tribal areas bordering Afghanistan.
It is also the first time that the civil and military leadership is even privately asking the US to halt its drone campaign, said a Pakistan official.
In the past, the government and the military establishment has been accused of having a dual policy on drones as they have publicly condemned the strikes but believed to have privately condoned them.
(Read: Where are Pak-US ties headed?)
Published in The Express Tribune, March 31st, 2012.

 

[naughty boy]

and where will this compensation and additional taxes go?...........what about those who lost there loved one?
this is like bribe......

 

[somebozo]

it means closing the supply route is hurting their bottom a bit too much..so we should rather keep it closed because the signal theya re sending is..Pakistan will do anything for money and this is exactly not the impression we want to take especially with zardari as the president.

 

[Icarus]

That's not it, I hear that the recent dip in the frequency of drone attacks is due to a compromise between the Govts of US and Pakistan.
Pakistan resumes NATO Supply, America reserves Drone Strikes for high priority targets only!

 

[naughty boy]

That's not it, I hear that the recent dip in the frequency of drone attacks is due to a compromise between the Govts of US and Pakistan.
Pakistan resumes NATO Supply, America reserves Drone Strikes for high priority targets only!

lol...what a compromise....so they are bullying us and blackmailing us...that they will continue the drone strikes till we open the nato supply route...so that more of our roads get ruined...more arms and ammunition gets in afghanistan...more fuel goes in..more blood shed...more killing of muslims...bottom line is they are showing more money to our leadership...


what if we dont open the supply route....since fuel wont make it...there would be no more drone strikes.......what if we tell the americans to stop the drone stikes or we will start arming afghan resistance?

 

[Icarus]

lol...what a compromise....so they are bullying us and blackmailing us...that they will continue the drone strikes till we open the nato supply route...so that more of our roads get ruined...more arms and ammunition gets in afghanistan...more fuel goes in..more blood shed...more killing of muslims...bottom line is they are showing more money to our leadership...


what if we dont open the supply route....since fuel wont make it...there would be no more drone strikes.......what if we tell the americans to stop the drone stikes or we will start arming afghan resistance?

International Relations and Diplomacy are not as simple as your typical childhood friendships. There are a lot of other factors involved, every country will look out for their interests.
BTW, we move vehicles and other supplies, ammo is delivered directly from American hands, to American hands. No middle men involved.

 

[naughty boy]

sir what sort of diplomacy is this...we are selling ourselves...we are now a laughing stock...whenever they feel they come and voilate our air-space..........they killed our 24 soldiers......who will account for that...who will avenge their deaths?will we have to raise another army to avenge their deaths?

 

[nitetrogen70]

best solution to this problem is open the supply routes but on our terms
no drone attacks
pay for all the damage done to the families
tax on all Nato supplies

 

[Respect4Respect01]

if NATO can take away zardari and gilani then we will re open the supplies.

 

[Icewolf]

if NATO can take away zardari and gilani then we will re open the supplies.

I am loving it!

 

[Bhairava]

What about a nuclear deal, like the one India got ?

 

[VelocuR]

NATO supplies, military bills: Pakistan, US agree on new framework

ISLAMABAD: While parliament squabbles over the contours of a future relationship with the United States, Islamabad and Washington have agreed to revisit two key issues: Nato supplies and military reimbursements.

Both sides on Wednesday agreed to introduce a new framework that will cover military compensation for Pakistani troops fighting the war on terror and the price to be charged to Nato containers supplying goods to troops stationed in Afghanistan at present, and for the pullout of heavy equipment when coalition forces withdraw in 2014.

Formal negotiations on the proposed framework will begin once parliament passes the new terms of engagements with the US, said an official after talks between Finance Minister Dr Abdul Hafeez Shaikh and visiting US Deputy Secretary of State Thomas Nides.

Nides is the second high-profile US official to visit Pakistan following last week’s talks between top military commanders of the two countries in Rawalpindi.

Nides held separate talks with Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar and the finance minister. He then met with Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani and proceeded to Lahore to call on President Asif Ali Zardari.

‘Substantive’ exchange

An American diplomat described talks between Nides and top Pakistani officials as “substantive, robust and a step in the right direction.”

In a statement read out along with Foreign Secretary Jalil Abbas Jilani, Nides urged Pakistan to adopt a balanced approach in its review of relationship with the US.

“We believe that we can achieve a balanced approach in a relationship that respects Pakistan’s sovereignty and interests but also represents our concerns about our national security,” Nides said. “Too much is at stake for us to turn away from each other, so we must work through all of these challenges,” he added.

Prime Minister Gilani told the visiting US official that relations “must be based on mutual respect and mutual interest.”

“We can achieve our objective – peace and stability in the region and Afghan reconciliation – through greater cooperation and on the basis of mutual trust,” Gilani was quoted as saying in a statement from his office.

CSF and Nato supplies

A Pakistani official confirmed that the two sides discussed the broader parameters of a new framework covering two key issues: the Coalition Support Fund (CSF) and Nato supplies.

The contours of the new framework will be discussed by the finance minister on the sidelines of the spring meetings of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, the official added.

The talks in Washington will decide if payments on account of CSF will continue, and what will be the formula for calculation.

Pakistan’s military has proposed abandoning the voucher-based calculation and adopt a more transparent and internationally-recognised mechanism for CSF reimbursements.

During Wednesday’s meeting, the finance minister also raised the issue of pending claims worth $2.5 billion on account of CSF, but the US official said the releases would depend on Parliament’s resolution.

The most important component of the new framework will be development charges on transportation of Nato containers.

Officials said Pakistan is expecting that roughly 80,000 to 100,000 containers would pass through Pakistan during the withdrawal period.

Both the sides also reviewed projects initiated with cooperation of the US. An official said that Nides reiterated his government’s pledge for providing $500 million to build the Diamer-Bhasha Dam.

The visiting US official also hinted at bringing the World Bank on board to finance the dam which has an estimated price tag of $11.2 billion.

Earlier, the World Bank had refused to finance the project saying it was located in a disputed territory.

Meeting with the president

Nides also called on President Zardari at the Governor House in Lahore.

The president said the democratic process may appear to be “long and noisy but should be valued for being lasting and fruitful.”

He said the government is awaiting the completion of parliamentary review process to reset bilateral ties. Nides said the US respected the parliamentary review process and looks forward to its early completion.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 5th, 2012.

 

[Jango]

The dam was in disputed territory before, but if the US wants it to happen, it is suddenly in un disputed territory!!!

BTW< the UK ambassador or some other diplomat is trying to bring peace in Karachi by meeting with MQM and ANP. The irony when a Brit has to come here to make peace!!!

 

[Dalit]

New framework between land of purerofl and US.

Pakistan can't survive without US and its obvious , now everybody knows well who is the lapdog of whom?.Pakistani should avoid chest thumbing in US related issues in PDF . I hope Pakistan will hand over Hafizz to US or she will allow OBL type raid.

One thing I agree on. If there's one thing worse compared to US drone attacks, it are the Pakistani leadership. The Pakistani leadership doesn't represent the aspiration of its people. The Pakistani politicians respire on aid and lack self-decency. I would be in unison if you could channel your rant to the Pakistani politicians.

 

[Icarus]

New framework between land of purerofl and US.

Pakistan can't survive without US and its obvious , now everybody knows well who is the lapdog of whom?.Pakistani should avoid chest thumbing in US related issues in PDF . I hope Pakistan will hand over Hafizz to US or she will allow OBL type raid.

It's called diplomacy dumba$$. We don't want to be the villains in Afghanistan, because the US will leave but the Afghans will always be there, the blockade besides hurting the Americans was also proving to be a toll on the Afghans as they depend largely on food supply(flour, meat, vegetables) that is imported or smuggled in to Afghanistan from Pakistan. We wanted to be able to try and contain the negative feelings associated with Pakistan on the other side of the durand line yet still be in an advantageous position and be able to call some of the shots. If the govt thinks this is their opportunity, then I will prefer to wait and watch.

BTW, you overestimate your importance to the US. They may launch such an audacious raid for their most wanted man but you should be happy with them declaring a bounty on yours. To no avail though, I don't like the guy but now should need arise, I would dispense all power at my disposal for his protection. There are diplomatic channels that have to be accessed to secure international arrests, you can't just out a bounty on someone's head, especially when they have NOT been found guilty in the court of law.