Islamabad: Pakistan`s standoff with Washington over a jailed U.S. Embassy worker will not thwart talks between the two countries and Afghanistan, a Pakistani government spokesman said Sunday.
Tensions between the US and Pakistan have been rising over the detention of American Raymond Allen Davis for killing two Pakistani men he says were trying to rob him.
In an apparent step to show its displeasure, the United States on Saturday postponed a meeting with Pakistani and Afghan officials to discuss the war in Afghanistan. Pakistan prizes such gatherings as a way to assert influence in Afghanistan.
The meeting was to have taken place next week. The US did not directly cite Davis` continued detention as the reason, but US diplomats have said the talks could become a casualty of the dispute.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Abdul Basit said he is confident the three-way talks will continue.
"The trilateral talks will be rescheduled in due course of time," Basit said. "It is important the trilateral process continues. We hope whenever held, (talks) will yield maximum results for peace and stability."
He declined comment on what the escalating diplomatic spat means for the Davis case or for relations with the United States.
State Department spokesman PJ Crowley said the US hopes to reschedule the three-way meeting soon.
Police in Pakistan have accused the embassy worker of "cold-blooded murder." Davis claims he shot the men in self-defense when they tried to rob him at gunpoint in the eastern city of Lahore. The US insists he has diplomatic immunity from prosecution.
Pakistani officials, fearful of a backlash in a population where anti-American fervor is widespread, have referred the case to the courts. Police are pushing for murder charges against the 36-year-old Davis, a former US Army Special Forces soldier.
Pakistan`s foreign secretary has said that any US pressure on Islamabad to release David will be "counterproductive."
Pakistan is considered a key to US success in neighboring Afghanistan, making it difficult for Washington to sever too many ties. Pakistan relies on US aid and protection, but the government seems paralyzed in the face of public outrage over the shootings.
Bureau Report
