Obama to sign KLB as US Senate defends

WASHINGTON - As controversy rages in Pakistan over some of the conditions set by the United States to extend economic aid, the White House says President Barack Obama will go ahead and sign the Kerry-Lugar Bill into a law for $ 7.5 billion to back the countrys development efforts.
The President will sign the legislation. Obviously it is posted on our website in accordance with our pledge to post legislation before the president signs it, White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs told the regular news briefing while responding to a question about the opposition to measure, especially from the Pakistan Army.
This is part of what many believe is important assistance for Pakistan. Pakistan is a key ally of the US. The bill covers a wide range of civilian aid including security assistance. Obviously the president would sign it, he said. The US Congress passed the bill last week and it is now before the president to be signed into law. Obama has 10 days to sign the bill into law. The bill triples civilian aid to Pakistan to $ 7.5 billion in the next five years.
SENATE STATEMENT
Meanwhile, the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee issued an unusual statement, titled, Separating Myth from Fact on Enhanced Partnership with Pakistan Act of 2009, saying the disputed clauses were based on the stated policy of the Pakistan government, its military and major opposition parties and the conditions were the basis of bilateral co-operation between the two allies.
The conditions ask nothing beyond what Pakistans own leaders have already promised, the committee said.
Earlier on Tuesday, John Kerry, Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and an architect of the negotiated version of the bill, said no conditions were imposed on Islamabad on the non-military aid.
Terming it unfortunate characterisation of the bicameral legislation in some quarters in ways that are just not accurate, Kerry asserted that there was no conditionality in this legislation (Kerry-Lugar Bill) for civilian and economic assistance.
Soon after the bill was passed by the House of Representatives by a voice vote last week, Senator Kerry said the bill reaffirmed the depth of Americas long-term commitment to the people and Government of Pakistan.
The bill, initially introduced in the Senate by Joe Biden, the then Chairman Senate Foreign Relations Committee and its ranking member, Senator Dick Lugar, has seen several changes, and is now called Kerry-Lugar Bill as it has been re-introduced by Senator Kerry, the present chairman and Senator Lugar, a Republican.
Reuters adds: Pakistani critics are manufacturing a crisis over $7.5 billion in US aid for political reasons, one of the US authors of the assistance plan said on Thursday.
The US Congress last week approved the plan authorising a tripling of developmental aid over five years. But fierce controversy in Pakistan about conditions in the bill could make it harder for US lawmakers to appropriate the money going forward, a necessary step before the aid goes to Islamabad.
This is a created crisis, by people who either havent read the bill or dont want to describe it accurately, and whose goal is either to destabilise the (Pakistani) government, or challenge some of the Pakistani militarys priorities, Democratic Representative Howard Berman, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, told Reuters.
Berman is the House sponsor of the legislation that was drafted with Senate sponsors Democrat John Kerry and Republican Richard Lugar.
It has no strings attached on development aid, but stipulates conditions for security aid, saying Pakistan must show commitment on fighting terrorism and dismantling nuclear networks.
Berman said that on security matters the bill outlined a joint strategy with Pakistan. He said members of Pakistans military had been familiar with provisions of the measure as it worked its way through the US House and Senate.
Ive been in touch with them (the military) through this whole process, Berman told Reuters. Ive spoken with (Pakistani army chief) General (Ashfaq) Kayani, other people. Its a common strategy, he said. This joint strategy is that we want to assist their efforts to take on the counterinsurgency, to disband terrorist groups within Pakistan, to protect their nuclear facilities from proliferation, Berman said.
Berman said that since April, both the government of Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari and the military have shown a strong willingness to take on at least key elements of the insurgency, and with some success.
Kerrys office issued a statement debunking what he said were myths circulating about the bill, denying for example that it had any language about unmanned drone aircraft Washington has used to attack militant targets in Pakistan. Kerry is travelling to the region next week, an aide said.
US President Barack Obama had urged passage of the aid measure to promote stability in a nuclear-armed country that is key to the US war in Afghanistan. White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said on Thursday that the president intended to sign it into law, because it was important assistance for Pakistan.
State Department spokesman Ian Kelly said assistance bills for some other countries, like Egypt and Colombia, had similar kinds of conditions.
Were not holding Pakistan up to any kind of different standard that we would any other country where the US taxpayer is making an investment, Kelly said. But the storm of protest in Pakistan has raised some hackles in the US Congress, with House Republican Leader John Boehner asking whether the administration had done its homework before promoting the bill.
Democratic Representative Gary Ackerman said he had no interest in a partnership characterised by suspicion, resentment and political manipulation.