WASHINGTON, June 25: The $3 billion US aid package for Pakistan is tied to an annual review of Pakistan’s cooperation in the war on terrorism, control of the spread of nuclear weapons and steps towards democracy, The Washington Post reported on Wednesday.
President George W. Bush announced the package on Tuesday at a joint news conference with President Pervez Musharraf at the Camp David presidential retreat.
Quoting a senior official in the Bush administration, the newspaper said the package would be evenly divided over five years and is part of a “long-term commitment” by Presidents Bush and Gen Musharraf based on specific goals the two countries agreed on.
The package still has to be approved by Congress, but the paper believes that the initial prospects for congressional approval are favourable.
The assistance plan would help the Bush administration “maintain pressure on President Musharraf to take concrete steps that would seal his promises to help combat Al Qaeda, stem the transfer of weapon technologies and restore democracy,” the report said.
The US effort to bolster President Musharraf’s position, the report said, included inviting him to Camp David, making him the first South Asian leader to be accorded that honour.
The report said that although President Bush did not spell out the requirements attached to the package, a senior US official said they included “functioning parliaments and functioning representation, including down to very low levels.”
The official told the Post that during a discussion of weapons issues, President Musharraf said he would not thwart the US nonproliferation goals and agreed not to encourage North Korea’s nuclear ambitions.
