KARACHI, June 20: US Ambassador in Pakistan, Ryan C. Crockar has said that Pakistan has done well in the textile sector but it must diversify in other high tech areas like information technology, software development, telecom, etc. Speaking at a meeting with FPCCI members at the Federation House, Karachi on Monday, he said that President Bush had announced 5-year $3 billion assistance package in December 2003 for Pakistan which was a touchstone of relations between the two countries.

The US Ambassador said it was the job of the government to provide the climate so as to attract investment. He said that Pakistan was encouraging outside investment and hoped that the resolution of major disputes relating to intellectual property rights, would attract the American investors.

He said that the visit of the US delegation comprising 30 companies was very successful and suggested that time was ripe for a reciprocal trade delegation visit from Pakistan, says a press release of the FPCCI.

The US envoy said that in April a large number of scholarships amounting to $75 million under the US Graduate Programme had been launched under which hundreds of Pakistani youths would go to the US.

Referring to the bilateral trade figures, quoted by President FPCCI, showing trade balance in favour of Pakistan, Mr Ryan said that for the sake of friendship the US was prepared to accept deficit in trade, even larger trade deficit.

He said that macroeconomic growth of Pakistan was impressive and expressed the hope that the American business companies’ role as reliable taxpayers would grow.

He said Pakistan was a strategic partner in fight against terrorism. “We are proud to have a staunch ally in Pakistan in fighting against new adversary,” he said.

Replying to a question he agreed that no US airline was operating to Pakistan and suggested that the PIA and some US air line should collaborate to operate the joint service. Replying to another question about issuance of US visa from US Consulate General in Karachi, he said that the premises of the present mission do not have enough space to allow issuance of visa. The Embassy was negotiating with the authorities for allocating a suitable place for relocating the Consulate General.

Earlier, FPCCI president, Chaudhry Muhammad Saeed said that the US Government should provide an even-playing field in textile trade by allowing textile and clothing to enter the US market on the same terms and conditions as given to Mexico, Central American, Caribbean and Sub-Saharan Africa, imports from whom were zero-rated while Pakistan’s textile goods were subject to around 10.5 per cent duty.

He said that the US has free-trade agreements with Jordan, Morocco and Bahrain and had begun negotiations for similar deals with Oman and the United Arab Emirates but Pakistan had been specifically confined to Trade and Investment Framework Agreement.