Kerry promises to 'clarify' clauses: Qureshi pushes US on controversial aid bill

US lawmakers and the Obama administration sought on Tuesday to allay Pakistani concerns over conditions tied to billions in non-military US aid to Pakistan, but made clear the legislation would not be changed.
Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, who was in Washington last week applauding the $7.5 billion aid plan, was back on Capitol Hill on Tuesday after his country's military protested the bill, which links some funds to fighting terrorism and is seen by critics as violating sovereignty.
Qureshi's return underscores mistrust over US intentions in Pakistan and the rift between the civilian government and the military leadership. Lawmakers, while sympathetic to delicate Pakistani politics, made clear conditions attached to the aid, which still has to be appropriated by Congress, could not be eased.
But Senator John Kerry, one of the authors of the bill, said an attempt would be made in the next 24 hours to clarify in writing some of the terms of the legislation that he said had not been characterised accurately "in some quarters." "The bill doesn't have to be changed," Kerry said after meeting Qureshi. "If there is a misinterpretation, it simply has to be clarified."
The bill, which Kerry said was aimed as a "true sign of friendship" for Pakistan, provides for $1.5 billion in non-military aid over the next five years. Reiterating the bill did not impinge on Pakistani sovereignty, Kerry said he was confident "we will not only be able to adequately address the concerns that have been raised in Pakistan, but we will provide a clarity that has force of law."
SOVEREIGNTY CONCERNS Qureshi said he had conveyed to Kerry the sovereignty worries raised in Pakistan's parliament and said these fears needed to be addressed. "We are going to work on it collectively to give it the correct interpretation," Qureshi said. In the House of Representatives, a spokesman for one of the appropriations subcommittees made clear the aid would be subject to annual review.
"The amount and type of assistance Pakistan receives will continue to be determined on a yearly basis by the performance of the Pakistanis in fighting al Qaeda, strict accountability of funding, and the fiscal realities facing our nation," said Matt Dennis, a spokeswoman for Representative Nita Lowey, chair of the State and Foreign Operations appropriations subcommittee.
Before going to Capitol Hill, Qureshi met special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, Richard Holbrooke, who had pushed Congress to pass the legislation. Qureshi was later set to meet national security advisor James Jones. White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said the US president saw the legislation as an important step forward and planned to sign the bill into law "soon." He did not specify when.
"I think the opponents of this bill ... are misinformed or are characterising this in a different way for their own political purposes," Gibbs told reporters. Former US Ambassador to Pakistan Wendy Chamberlin said tensions over the aid package underlined the "trust deficit" that existed between the two countries.
She said there needed to be strong diplomatic efforts to resolve this. Pakistan expert Alex Thier said just as in the United States, Pakistan's political leaders needed to balance their need for US economic support with popular backing. "This looks very dangerous, not only to the military, but also expands this narrative that the US is trying to micromanage Pakistani security," said Thier of the US Institute of Peace.