Ambassador Cameron Munter. - File Photo

PESHAWAR: Ambassador Cameron Munter said on Tuesday the United States would wait for the conclusion of parliamentary debate on Pak-US relationship and would respond “openly and honestly”.

But he acknowledged that while “some of things are not gonna be easy”, it was important for Washington and Islamabad to “re-set and recalibrate” some of the processes important to the two countries.

“The main thing that we are looking forward (to) is that after the very unfortunate accident that we regret so much that took place on the 26th of November in Salala; after this pause, to making sure that we engage with one another that we take seriously the issues that both countries have, we take very seriously the agenda, that we think will come out of the discussions from the parliament and we look forward to discussing these issues and bringing our concerns to the table,” he told a media roundtable here.

“What we really wanna do is very realistic and straight forward sets of discussions. There are people on both sides, in Pakistan and in the United States, who have felt disappointed because our expectations were very high. We wanna get past that disappointment,” he said.

The ambassador acknowledged that while there was some pause after the Salala incident engagements between the two countries, at the tactical level with the military, cooperation between their intelligence agencies and diplomatic level continued.

He, however, added that his government would want to expand the military to military contacts from the current tactical level to the strategic level.

Similarly, he said, cooperation between the intelligence agencies of the two countries had continued. “Our intelligence agencies understand that we have a great deal in common. Those people who threaten Pakistan and those people who threaten America are the same people. We have been cooperating together and we will continue to do that,” he added.

But when asked about Pakistan’s demands for an end to drone strikes in the tribal regions and an unconditional apology for the attack on the Salala checkpost, Ambassador Munter acknowledged those issues could prove to be difficult to overcome.

“On all issues, especially the key issue of counter-terrorism, we have to engage. There are many ways in which we are fighting the common enemy,” he maintained.

“None of things you mentioned are gonna be easy,” he said, adding that both countries needed to work together to find ways acceptable to them.

Asked if the US would offer an apology for the Salala incident, Mr Munter said that US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen Martin Dempsy and Secretary Clinton had expressed their regret and sorrow over what he described was an “accident” that had not been done on purpose.

However, he said, the US would deal with it when the parliament concluded its discussion.

“The key to me is making sure that we understand on both sides that there is a clear understanding and respect for the positions of each other. And we are going to respond as openly as honestly as we can to what your parliament puts forward,” he remarked.

He was optimistic that Pakistani and American leadership realised that it was in the interest of both countries to work together and move ahead.

Asked if Pakistan’s relations with the US would move from strategic to a more transactional relationship, Ambassador Munter said that regardless of what was important for the two countries to be respectful, realistic and effective.

“We have to see how both sides can come to some sort of an agreement that takes into account the needs of the war against terror and the desires of Pakistan. The two sides have to talk and see how we can come together and come to agreement,” he said.

He said that there was increasing realisation in the US of the tremendous sacrifices Pakistan had made in the war against terror.

“We respect that,” he said. “And we don’t take Pakistan for granted.”

On the question of engaging the Afghan Taliban and urging Pakistan to take on its brand of militants, the US envoy said that Islamabad and Washington supported an Afghan-led peace process that involved talks amongst Afghans. “That conversation needs to take place,” he said. “We would want the Pakistanis to support that process,” he argued.

But at the same time, he said, it was important to fight those who brought harm to the people of Afghanistan and bombed mosques in Pakistan.

Saying that the US had given $ 2 billion assistance to Pakistan since 2009, Mr Munter argued that no assistance programme could fix Pakistan. “Pakistan has to fix Pakistan”, he remarked, adding that it required honest and competent leadership to show the way forward.