BRUSSELS, March 19: The European Parliament remained split this week over ratifying a European Union cooperation agreement signed with Pakistan in 2001 after members of the 69-strong foreign affairs committee failed to agree on endorsing the pact.

Key committee members agreed that Pakistan had made progress in improving its democracy and human rights credentials but differed on how much more effort the EU should demand from the country before giving its go-ahead to the cooperation deal.

Sources said several MEPs, including John Cushnahan, the Parliament's special 'rapporteur' on the Pakistan agreement, argued in favour of delaying any parliamentary approval of the pact.

But others in the committee insisted that the EU must encourage Pakistan to go forward in key areas and also underlined that the EU needed to take account of continuing improvement in India-Pakistan relations.

Many senior EU officials argue that the bloc cannot hope to play a more influential role in South Asia unless it upgrades relations with Pakistan.