No decision to restore NATO supplies: FO
20 January, 2012
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has said that the NATO supply route to Afghanistan has not been reopened, as Islamabad is reviewing the current situation. Holding a weekly news briefing on Thursday at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, Foreign Office spokesman Abdul Basit Khan made it clear that the NATO supply route has not been reopened. He also mentioned that Islamabad had always expressed its strong reservations regarding the term "Af-Pak" and there was no change in Pakistan's stance. The spokesman, while responding to a question, said that Islamabad wanted Mark Grossman's next visit to Pakistan to be productive. "It is, therefore, important that he visits Pakistan after we have completed our homework." It was informed that Pakistan's new envoy to United States, Sherry Rehman, had presented her credentials to US President Obama, and during their sitting, the state of Pak-US relations was discussed. Abdul Basit said that Islamabad wanted a relationship with the US that was "free from the ups and downs of a roller-coaster", and added that "it was our belief that the parliamentary process, which is currently underway to finalise the terms of engagement from our side, will lead to a positive outcome for both the countries". "What we are looking for is a relationship based on mutual respect and mutual interest. No inter-state relationship can be built without agreeing on its fundamentals," he said. Over the presence of Norwegian Police Agents in Pakistan, the Foreign Office official maintained that Islamabad was in touch with the authorities concerned and was seeking details from Oslo. Meanwhile, he said Pakistan and the US had been engaged at the diplomatic level and taking to each other on a number of issues. He said Pakistan had always emphasised on peaceful resolution of all issues, including international disputes, through dialogue. End.
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