No warning was given to Pakistan, says US Embassy
08 February, 2013
KARACHI: The US Embassy on Thursday denied media reports that Washington had "warned" Pakistan against negotiating any peace deal with the local Taliban militants, saying that no such discussion had taken place between the two countries. "Reports that the United States has threatened the suspension of military and economic assistance if the Gov-ernment of Pakistan negot-iates with the Pakistani Taliban are false," Rian Harris, a US Embassy Spokesman in Islamabad, said in a statement. "Our ongoing commitment to continuing to provide civilian assistance to Pakistan, focused on the key priorities of the Pakistani people, has been a hallmark of our bilateral relationship the past few years," the statement said. He said that the meeting of the Defence Consultative Group, held for the first time in over a year this December, focused on putting the US security assistance to Pakistan back on the track. "More broadly, Pakistan has suffered enormously at the hands of the Pakistani Taliban and other terrorist groups, and the United States supports the Government of Pakistan's efforts to combat terrorism and violent extremism." End.
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