WASHINGTON – US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton apologized Tuesday for the NATO airstrike that killed 24 Pakistani soldiers last year -- and announced that Pakistan has agreed to re-open supply lines into Afghanistan that have been closed since the incident.
"We are sorry for the losses suffered by the Pakistani military," she said in a statement Tuesday.
The importance of taking coordinated action against terrorists who threaten Pakistan, the United States, and the region; of supporting Afghanistan's security, stability, and efforts towards reconciliation; and of continuing to work together to advance the many other shared interests we have, from increasing trade and investment to strengthening our people-to-people ties. Our countries should have a relationship that is enduring, strategic, and carefully defined, and that enhances the security and prosperity of both our nations and the region, she said.
She said that "I told the former Prime Minister of Pakistan days after the Salala incident, America respects Pakistan's sovereignty and is committed to working together in pursuit of shared objectives on the basis of mutual interests and mutual respect."
In addition, I am pleased that Foreign Minister Khar has informed me that the ground supply lines (GLOC) into Afghanistan are opening. Pakistan will continue not to charge any transit fee in the larger interest of peace and security in Afghanistan and the region. This is a tangible demonstration of Pakistan's support for a secure, peaceful, and prosperous Afghanistan and our shared objectives in the region. This will also help the United States and ISAF conduct the planned drawdown at a much lower cost, she added.
The agreement ends a bitter seven-month stalemate between the two countries that has threatened to jeopardize counterterrorism cooperation and complicated the American troop withdrawal from Afghanistan.
In exchange, Pakistan dropped its insistence to charge a transit fee for each truck carrying NATO nonlethal supplies from Pakistan into Afghanistan, Mrs. Clinton said.
It was not immediately clear why Pakistan dropped the demand for transit fees, which had been a hotly contested issue for months.
Pakistan, stung by the suspension of American military assistance last year, at first demanded a fee of $5,000 for each truck that crossed its territory from the port in Karachi to Afghanistan. Before the November attack, NATO had paid $250. Pakistan later reduced that demand to about $3,000 a truck; the United States has offered $1,000 per vehicle, although some officials say the two sides have settled for about half of that. Clinton futher added that, "Pakistan will continue not to charge any transit fee in the larger interest of peace and security in Afghanistan and the region.
The Pentagon has offset the closed route by using a much longer, more expensive northern supply line that runs into Afghanistan through Central Asia. Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta has said the route was costing an extra $100 million a month.
Sherry Rahmani, Pakistani Ambassador to US
Pakistan's Ambassador to the US Sherry Rehman said in a statement "We appreciate Secretary Clinton's statement, and hope that bilateral ties can move to a better place from here. I am confident that both countries can agree on many critical issues, especially on bringing peace to the region".
US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta
US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said that "I welcome Pakistan's decision to open the ground lines of communication. As I have made clear, we remain committed to improving our partnership with Pakistan and to working closely together as our two nations confront common security challenges in the region," Panetta said.
General John Allen, NATO Commander
General John Allen made the remarks in a statement released in Kabul that also paid tribute to the "sacrifices" made by Pakistani, as well as Afghan and NATO troops in the war.
Allen, who held talks in Islamabad twice in the last six days, said the decision was "a demonstration of Pakistan's desire to help secure a brighter future for both Afghanistan and the region at large".
"I look forward to future opportunities to work together toward our common goals, by taking coordinated action against terrorists," he said. (Agencies)