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Clinton administration wants to restore ties to Pakistan military

The United States hopes to resume training programmes for the Pakistan military and eventually to end all sanctions against both Pakistan and India, a state department official has told the US Congress.

"The goal is a sanction-free relationship with both countries,'' said Assistant Secretary of State Karl F Inderfurth on Wednesday, expressing optimism about South Asia after last month's meeting between the Indian and Pakistan prime ministers.

"The administration is asking Congress to restore funding for military-to-military training under a programme ended with Pakistan in 1990 amid concern over its nuclear weapons programme. India qualifies for US training, which is partly aimed at instilling human rights values in soldiers."

"We want to see the Pakistan military continuing to look westward,'' Inderfurth said, indicating he did not want it to be influenced by the Taliban that dominate Afghanistan.

"A lifting of all sanctions, however, will require more commitment to a non-nuclear future by India and Pakistan," he said.

Much of the economic sanctions imposed against India and Pakistan following the nuclear tests last May have been lifted as tensions have cooled in the region, but a ban remains on sales of military items or anything that might have a military use.

"In demanding that both powers give up nuclear testing and nuclear weapons production, the United States has taken into account both governments' conceptions of their own national interests,'' he said.

Inderfurth called for more breakthroughs like the February 20 meeting between Prime Ministers Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Nawaz Sharief.

"Recognising that progress so far has been largely promisory, we look forward to the next few months to concrete steps by both parties that will enable us to reassess the sanctions regimes,'' the state department official said.

UNI

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