WASHINGTON: The United States and Pakistan are working together to resume their strategic dialogue and other high-level contacts delayed by recent strains in their relations, says US envoy Marc Grossman.
Mr Grossman, the new US Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, also indicated that the two countries were working on rescheduling President Asif Ali Zardari's visit to Washington, which was planned in April but has now been delayed.Similarly, the two sides are also working on President Barack Obama's visit to Pakistan, which was announced last year but has not been scheduled yet, he added.
Mr Grossman, who was talking to Pakistani journalists at the Pakistan Day reception at the embassy, returned last week from a visit to Islamabad. He arrived in the Pakistani capital at the height of the Raymond Davis crisis, which at one stage seemed to threaten bilateral ties.
“I hope it has,” said the US envoy when asked if his visit helped reduce these tensions. “This is a very important relationship and we value it.”
He acknowledged that the issues bedevilling bilateral ties figured prominently in his talks in Islamabad but both sides also underlined their desire to overcome these snags and continue this mutually beneficial relationship.
“We have agreed to leave the past behind and further strengthen our relationship,” Ambassador Husain Haqqani, who also participated in the briefing, added. Dawn
Diplomatic sources told that the next round of strategic dialogue might soon be held in Islamabad, although dates had not been finalised yet.
The sources said that the two countries had made 'some progress' in overcoming the difficulties highlighted during the Raymond Davis case.
The CIA contractor's arrest led to reports in the media that the US spy agency was operating a network in Pakistan, which focused not only on the war against terror but was also working on issues that alarmed the Pakistanis.
Since then, the two sides are believed to have evolved an understanding to deal with this dispute but there's another issue that now seems to endanger bilateral ties — continued US drone strikes in Fata.
Pakistan strongly protested the strike that killed more than 50 people earlier this month and caused an unusually harsh statement from the army chief in condemning the attack.
The army's strong stance also forced the civilian government to take up the issue with US authorities and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs sent a protest note to the State Department, demanding a halt to the attacks.
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