Chicago summit will bring stability to the region: Sherry Rehman

Pakistan’s ambassador to the United States Sherry Rehman has said the Chicago summit will help in bringing stability and prosperity to the region.

While interviewing to Dawn, the ambassador clarified that the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) has sent an unconditional invitation to President Asif Ali Zardari for the Chicago summit meeting.

The two-day summit will be an important milestone in search for stability in Afghanistan, which is scheduled to begin on May 20 and will bring 50 heads of states and governments to Chicago to decide a future course of action for Afghanistan.

About Pakistan’s demand for an apology for the November 26 NATO attack that killed 24 Pakistani troops, she urged the need to move on to new beginnings.

She observed, “Pakistan wants to lay the foundation of an engagement that is durable, yet protects our interests as well as addresses NATO and Afghanistan’s concerns”.

While welcoming the invitation of the summit, she said the meeting will lay down a strategic and security framework which will be linked to NATO’s security transition from Afghanistan by 2014.

She noted, “Given our high stakes in regional stability, Pakistan wants a peaceful and stable Afghanistan and to achieve that objective, we are hopeful of a regional dynamic in which Afghanistan leads the way”.

The Pakistani envoy expressed hopes that the summit meeting will reach decisions which are practicable and pragmatic and shield Pakistan’s interests.

She categorically rejected the impression of disconnect between the civilian and military leadership over the Ground line of Communication (GLC), saying both the leaderships have acted in complete lockstep on this matter, consulting with each other repeatedly on key issues.

Replying to a query about bilateral ties between US and Pakistan, she said this was a complex relationship which will benefit from the sunlight of intelligibility, constancy and sensible expectations on both ends.

However, she clarified that they wanted this relationship to be based in realistic prospects, respect for each other’s sovereignty and understanding of each other’s redlines.

While answering to a question, Sherry Rehman said Pakistan’s infrastructure and roads had suffered extremely due to the heavy load and traffic of NATO containers.

In her view, it is responsibility of the allied forces under the international obligation to bear the cost that Pakistan had incurred and could incur in the coming years. However, she said there will be no more oral agreement with the United States.

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Posted by Faisal Farooq on May 16 2012. Filed under Latest News, National, Pakistan. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.