|
| | GEO Pakistan | | US admits trust deficit with Pakistan | Updated at: 0249 PST, Saturday, April 18, 2009
 WASHINGTON: The United States on Friday vowed to work with the Congress on a five-year $7.5 billion assistance package for Pakistan and said it would work with Pakistan to build mutual trust.
State Department Spokesman Robert Wood told the regular briefing that both anti-terrorism partners are committed to deal with the issue of trust. “There’s no question that there is trust — issues of trust.
But that’s why we’re working hard to try to resolve them. And there’s a commitment on both sides to try to deal with that question,” he stated in response to a question if the Tokyo conference on Friday presented an opportunity for the United States to repair a bit of trust deficit between the two countries. Washington, the State Department spokesman said, would continue to work with Pakistan and added the issue of trust is not going to be resolved overnight.
“I’m not going to say that the issue of trust is going to be resolved overnight. It’s not. But it takes action on the part of both governments to try to deal fairly and squarely with a lot of these issues that confront us.”
“But as I said, the stakes are very high. And we need to work with Pakistan on trying to prevent the Taliban from wreaking more havoc, on not only Pakistan but Afghanistan in particular,” Wood said.
Earlier, the spokesman said in a statement that the US pledged $1 billion to Pakistan at the Tokyo conference as down payment of President Barack Obama’s commitment to working with the Congress on Kerry-Lugar measure that would authorise $1.5 billion economic assistance annually for Pakistan over five years. He said the US wants the taxpayers’ money is spent on the welfare of Pakistani people. |  |
|
|
| |
