Washington: The US said that there has been no "significant impact" on its military to military relationship with Pakistan after Islamabad refused to release
an American diplomat detained on possible murder charges.
"There has been no significant impact (because of
this)," Pentagon Spokesman Col Dave Lapan told reporters.
At the same time, he noted that that is not aware if
any meeting at the smaller level has been cancelled because of
this.
Meanwhile, The Wall Street Journal in a news dispatch
from Islamabad said that the Obama Administration is
threatening to cancel the tri-lateral meeting between the
United States, Afghanistan and Pakistan scheduled for later
this month, in protest of the arrest of its diplomat Raymond
Allen Davis.
"Pakistani officials said the US had conveyed its
decision to cancel the meeting if the detained American
diplomat, named by Pakistan as Raymond Davis, wasn't
released," The Journal reported.
The meeting is scheduled to take place from February
23 to 25.
But a senior Administration official said, "The
Trilateral Ministerial is currently scheduled for February
23-24. Preparations for the Trilateral continue."
Yesterday, three powerful US lawmakers had warned
that the massive American aid to Pakistan may soon be in
jeopardy if Islamabad does not release Davis.
The tough message in this regard was delivered by
Congressmen Howard "Buck" McKeon, House Armed Services
Committee chairman; John Kline, Education and Labor Committee
chairman, and Silvestre Reyes, the senior Democrat on the
House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, during their
just concluded trip to Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Talking to reporters here, McKeon said the delegation
indicated it could very well be" that the US might consider
withholding funding.
"It is entirely possible that a member of Congress
would come down and offer an amendment to cut funding for
Pakistan, based on their detaining Mr Davis, and my guess is
there would be a lot support for such an amendment, frankly
because of the outrage of detaining an American with
diplomatic immunity," Klein said.
The State Department spokesman P J Crowley tweeted
that the US continues to contact with Pakistan to express the
importance of resolving the case of a US diplomat in
accordance with international law.
PTI
First Published: Thursday, February 10, 2011, 00:12