WASHINGTON: The White House has strongly opposed recent Congressional moves to impose restrictions on reimbursement of coalition support funds for Pakistan as well as requirements of certification.
Reacting to a series of proposals made by the House Armed Services Committee in National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for the fiscal year 2013, the White House budget office objected to several of them.
The White House Office of Management and Budget argued that limiting reimbursement of funds for Pakistan at this sensitive time would have negative repercussions for counterterrorism efforts in the region.
The Administration strongly objects to the restriction in reimbursement for Pakistan from Coalition Support Funds and the associated certification requirements in section 1211, the OMB said in a statement.
Taken together, the reimbursement restriction and the certification restrictions - some of which require the Secretary of Defense to certify Pakistani cooperation on issues outside of his purview - are proposed at a particularly sensitive time and would severely constrict DOD (Department of Defense)'s ability to respond to emergent war-time coalition support requirements, putting at risk the success of our campaign in Afghanistan, and increasing the risk that al-Qaida and its associates would be able to again enjoy a safe haven in Pakistan.
On a number of proposals, the statement said President Obama's advisors will counsel him to use a veto, if these restrictions are deemed to impede the administration's ability to implement the defense strategy.
Last week, the House Armed Services Committees called for conditioning both U.S. economic and military assistance for Pakistan. It proposed the aid be limited until the South Asian country facilities NATO supplies and extends help in support of wide-ranging U.S. counterterrorism efforts in Afghanistan. (APP)