US links Pak aid to border situation

WASHINGTON-The new US administration plans to increase non-military aid to Pakistan, but will link it to the country's performance in securing the Pak-Afghan border region, according to the foreign policy agenda document released soon after President Barack Obama moved into the White House on Tuesday.
The document called the resurgence of al Qaeda and the Taliban in Afghanistan and Pakistan as 'the greatest threat to our security'.
'President Barack Obama and Vice President Joseph Biden will increase non-military aid to Pakistan and hold them accountable for security in the border region with Afghanistan', it added.
Biden, as Chairman of the powerful Senate Foreign Relations Committee, authored last year a Pakistan aid bill with Indiana Republican Senator Richard Lugar that would have authorized a tripling of non-military aid to Islamabad, to $1.5 billion annually, for five years.
The cash was to go to help improve schools, build clinics, drill wells and reform police in Pakistan. In his former post as a Senator from Illinois, Obama also signed on as a co-sponsor.
The bill also calls for greater accountability on security assistance, to improve Pakistani counter-terrorism capabilities and ensure more effective efforts against the Taliban and al-Qaeda. The Biden-Lugar measure was passed by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in July but never got a vote in the full Senate.
Meanwhile, Pakistan's Ambassador to the United States, Husain Haqqani, underscored the need for placing on 'fast-track' the proposed Biden-Lugar bill, saying 'Only strong democracy can fight terrorism in Pakistan'. Speaking at a reception he hosted to mark the advent of Obama administration, he urged the international community, specially the US, to come forward to support the people of Pakistan in their dream of making Pakistan a strong and stable democracy.
'The war on terrorism cannot be won with military force alone. The US needs to have a comprehensive approach that could focus on political rapprochement and pouring in of economical resource- ideals that remained hallmark of the democratic campaign', he added.
'From Abu-Gharib to Guantanamo Bay Prison, we have learned that in the name of security human respect and dignity should not be compromised. It is high time to strengthen stability in Pakistan by standing up for the aspirations of the Pakistani people'.
The reception was attended by Congressmen, officials of the new Obama administration and diplomats.
AFP adds: The Pentagon said Wednesday it will conduct a comprehensive review of US detention procedures and policies at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
At the direction of President Barack Obama, Defence Secretary Robert Gates has ordered military prosecutors to seek a 120-day suspension of "war on terror" trials at Guantanamo while the department conducts its review, Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said.
He said the department expects the White House to provide in the near future "further guidance on a broader, comprehensive review of policies and procedures related to detention activities at Guantanamo."