US Defense Secretary Hagel to visit Pakistan on Monday: US officials

[Devil Soul]

Hagel to visit Pakistan on Monday: US officials
By AFP
Published: December 8, 2013
Chuck Hagel will meet with Nawaz Sharif in the first visit by a US defense secretary to Pakistan in nearly four years. PHOTO: REUTERS

KABUL: US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel will visit Pakistan on Monday, officials said, with Afghanistan’s stalled peace process high on the agenda as well as the strained relations between Washington and Islamabad.

Hagel, who has been in Afghanistan since Saturday, will meet with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in Islamabad in the first visit by a US defense secretary to Pakistan in nearly four years.

Ties between the two countries have been troubled over US drone strikes targeting suspected militants in Pakistan’s tribal belt.

“Secretary Hagel met with Prime Minister Sharif on his visit to Washington earlier this year and looks forward to continuing candid and productive conversations,” Pentagon’s Carl Woog told reporters on Sunday.

“Secretary Hagel also looks forward to discussing with Prime Minister Sharif and other senior Pakistani officials the United States and Pakistan’s common interest in a stable Afghanistan.”

Activists opposed to the drone strikes have been forcibly searching trucks in northwest Pakistan since late November to try to disrupt NATO supply routes to Afghanistan.

The US military has suspended shipments of equipment out of Afghanistan through the Torkham border crossing, a key transit point to withdraw NATO military hardware from Afghanistan.

Pakistan is seen as crucial to peace in neighbouring Afghanistan as it was a key backer of the hardline 1996-2001 Taliban regime in Kabul and is believed to shelter some of the movement’s leaders.

 

[airmarshal]

Why? What is he coming for?

 

[rockstar08]

i heard in news that USA is increasing military aid , probably for continuing of drone strikes , or may be he is coming to warn pak politicians that stay in their limits or we will kick your A$$ , specially to IK

 

[tarrar]

US officials just come without permission or invitation, a clear proof that Govt. is spineless & they always bow down to US.

 

[acid rain]

Why? What is he coming for?

I heard in your news that it is speculated that he is coming to meet your new army chief and also to express regret for the killing of the three FC jawans....is that true? but most likely he is coming to open NATO supply route.

 

[ejaz007]

Hagel Meets With Senior Pakistani Leaders
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Dec. 9, 2013 – Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel met with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, Minister of Defense Khawaja Asif, Minister of Finance Mohammad Ishaq Dar, Chief of Army Staff Raheel Sharif, National Security and Foreign Affairs Advisor Sartaj Aziz, and other senior Pakistani officials today in Islamabad and Rawalpindi, Pakistan, Assistant Press Secretary Carl Woog said in a statement issued today.

Woog’s statement reads as follows:

United States Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel met with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, Minister of Defense Khawaja Asif, Minister of Finance Mohammad Ishaq Dar, Chief of Army Staff Raheel Sharif, National Security and Foreign Affairs Advisor Sartaj Aziz, and other Pakistani officials on Dec. 9 in meetings in Islamabad and Rawalpindi.

Secretary Hagel’s visit, the first by a U.S. secretary of defense in nearly four years, provided an opportunity to advance a broad, robust, and continuous United States–Pakistan dialogue on topics of shared concern, including security and stability in the region.

Secretary Hagel reviewed the mutually beneficial bilateral security relationship and reaffirmed the strong U.S. commitment to fostering peace and security in the region. The secretary also emphasized the U.S. desire for a strong, long-term partnership with Pakistan. He updated the prime minister, minister of defense, and the chief of the army staff on U.S. and NATO efforts to promote stability in Afghanistan.

Secretary Hagel raised the importance of keeping the ground supply routes out of Afghanistan open and thanked the prime minister for his government's continued support. They discussed that while the GLOCs (Ground Lines of Communication) are open, noting goods are flowing through the Chaman gate, protests and security issues on the Pakistan side have impacted the ability of goods to move through the Torkham Gate. The prime minister indicated that Pakistan would address the issue.

During his meeting with the prime minister, Secretary Hagel reviewed shared concerns regarding the activities of terrorist groups, including the Haqqani network, on Pakistani territory. He also discussed the robust U.S. security assistance program designed to support the Pakistani government’s struggle against militants responsible for killing tens of thousands of Pakistanis. The secretary stressed that as ISAF (International Security Assistance Force) forces draw down over the course of 2014, U.S. and coalition partners remain resolved to not let militants destabilize the region.

U.S. assistance to Pakistan continues to help build the counter-insurgency and counterterrorism capabilities of Pakistan’s security forces, which are critical to countering violence in the western border regions. Since 2002, Pakistan has received more than $16 billion of security assistance and reimbursements. Pakistan’s determined effort to root out terrorism and militancy on its own territory is essential for creating a stable environment for promoting economic growth and prosperity.

The secretary’s visit follows the 22nd Defense Consultative Group, held in Washington, D.C. on Nov. 21-22. The defense consultative group is responsible for establishing the scope and character of bilateral security cooperation and is a part of the strategic dialogue, which was re-energized during Secretary of State John Kerry’s visit to Pakistan in August and reaffirmed by President Obama and Prime Minister Sharif on his visit to Washington in October.

Defense.gov News Article: Hagel Meets With Senior Pakistani Leaders

 

[airmarshal]

I heard in your news that it is speculated that he is coming to meet your new army chief and also to express regret for the killing of the three FC jawans....is that true? but most likely he is coming to open NATO supply route.

NATO supply routes with threats and blackmail to the looters, whom we call 'leaders'