US apologizes - Pakistan reopens NATO supply line

[Poet]

US apologizes on Salala attack

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WASHINGTON (Agencies): US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says Pakistan is reopening supply lines into Afghanistan after the US issued an apology for the November killing of 24 Pakistani troops in a Nato airstrike.
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton says she told Pakistan's Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar in a telephone conversation that the US is "sorry for the losses suffered by the Pakistani military in Salala. I reiterated our deepest regrets for the tragic incident in Salala last November. I offered our sincere condolences to the families of the Pakistani soldiers who lost their lives." Foreign Minister Khar and I acknowledged the mistakes that resulted in the loss of Pakistani military lives. We are sorry for the losses suffered by the Pakistani military. We are committed to working closely with Pakistan and Afghanistan to prevent this from ever happening again.
As I told the former Prime Minister of Pakistan days after the Salala incident, America respects Pakistan's sovereignty and is committed to working together in pursuit of shared objectives on the basis of mutual interests and mutual respect.
In today's phone call, Foreign Minister Khar and I talked about the importance of taking coordinated action against terrorists who threaten Pakistan, the United States, and the region; of supporting Afghanistan's security, stability, and efforts towards reconciliation; and of continuing to work together to advance the many other shared interests we have, from increasing trade and investment to strengthening our people-to-people ties. Our countries should have a relationship that is enduring, strategic, and carefully defined, and that enhances the security and prosperity of both our nations and the region.
The Foreign Minister and I were reminded that our troops - Pakistani and American - are in a fight against a common enemy. We are both sorry for losses suffered by both our countries in this fight against terrorists. We have enhanced our counter-terrorism cooperation against terrorists that threaten Pakistan and the United States, with the goal of defeating Al-Qaida in the region.
In addition, I am pleased that Foreign Minister Khar has informed me that the ground supply lines (GLOC) into Afghanistan are opening. Pakistan will continue not to charge any transit fee in the larger interest of peace and security in Afghanistan and the region. This is a tangible demonstration of Pakistan's support for a secure, peaceful, and prosperous Afghanistan and our shared objectives in the region. This will also help the United States and ISAF conduct the planned drawdown at a much lower cost. This is critically important to the men and women who are fighting terrorism and extremism in Afghanistan. Foreign Minister Khar has informed me that, consistent with current practice, no lethal equipment will transit the GLOC into Afghanistan except for equipping the ANSF. In concluding the call, I reiterated our deep appreciation to the Government and the people of Pakistan for their many sacrifices and their critical contribution to the ongoing fight against terrorism and extremism.

Pakistan reopens NATO supply line

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Pakistan is reopening vital Nato supply routes into Afghanistan closed since a deadly November attack, Clinton added.
Federal Minister for Communication Qamar Zaman Kaira, reading out a formal decision of the Defence Committee of the Cabinet announced that the Ground Lines of Communications (GLOCs) were being opened. He added that no lethal Nato cargo will be allowed, except for that which is meant for Afghan security forces.
During a telephone conversation with her Pakistani counterpart Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar, she “informed me that the ground supply lines into Afghanistan are opening,” Clinton said.
Islamabad had long said that Washington must apologise for the air raid that killed 24 Pakistani soldiers before it would re-open the routes, closed in anger after the US attack.
“Foreign Minister Khar and I acknowledged the mistakes that resulted in the loss of Pakistani military lives,” Clinton said in a statement.
“We are sorry for the losses suffered by the Pakistani military. We are committed to working closely with Pakistan and Afghanistan to prevent this from ever happening again.”
The blockade has forced the alliance to rely on longer, more expensive northern routes through Russia and Central Asia.
No transit fee
Initial hopes of a deal on re-opening the routes fell apart at a Nato summit in Chicago in May amid reports that Pakistan was demanding huge fees for each of the thousands of trucks that rumble across the border every year.
But Clinton said: “Pakistan will continue not to charge any transit fee in the larger interest of peace and security in Afghanistan and the region.
“This is a tangible demonstration of Pakistan’s support for a secure, peaceful, and prosperous Afghanistan and our shared objectives in the region. This will also help the United States and ISAF conduct the planned drawdown at a much lower cost.”
The statement said that the Pakistani minister announced that “no lethal equipment will transit the GLOC into Afghanistan except for equipping the ANSF.
Clinton said that she and the foreign minister spoke about “the importance of taking coordinated action against terrorists who threaten Pakistan, the United States, and the region; of supporting Afghanistan’s security, stability, and efforts towards reconciliation; and of continuing to work together to advance the many other shared interests we have, from increasing trade and investment to strengthening our people-to-people ties.”
She added that both the countries should have a “relationship that is enduring, strategic, and carefully defined, and that enhances the security and prosperity of both our nations and the region.”
Pakistan Taliban threatened to attack Nato supply routes after the announcement of reopening Nato supply routes came.
Improving ties
Severely strained ties between the United States and Pakistan are poised to improve after the two countries agreed to reopen ground routes key for the war in Afghanistan, Pakistan’s ambassador to the United States said.
“We appreciate Secretary Clinton’s statement, and hope that bilateral ties can move to a better place from here. I am confident that both countries can agree on many critical issues, especially on bringing peace to the region,” Ambassador Sherry Rehman said in a statement.
Move welcomed
The US commander of Nato troops fighting the Taliban welcomed Pakistan’s decision to reopen Nato supply lines into Afghanistan after a seven-month blockade.
General John Allen made the remarks in a statement released in Kabul that also paid tribute to the “sacrifices” made by Pakistani, as well as Afghan and Nato troops in the war.
“I look forward to future opportunities to work together toward our common goals, by taking coordinated action against terrorists,” he said.
NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen also welcomed the move, saying the resumption of transit arrangements for ISAF supplies through Pakistan demonstrates strengthened cooperation between ISAF nations and Pakistan.
On the reopening of supply routes, Secretary Defence Leon Panetta said, “I welcome Pakistan’s decision to open the ground lines of communication. As I have made clear, we remain committed to improving our partnership with Pakistan and to working closely together as our two nations confront common security challenges in the region.”
Some US officials including Senator John Kerry and Senator Graham appreciated the move.
The Salala incident had prompted Pakistan to conduct a policy review of its ties with the US, demanding that the US issue a high-level apology over the incident, and end drone strikes before the routes would be reopened.
The US, on numerous occasions expressed regret over the incident, but did not offer a clear apology as demanded by Pakistan. ISAF Commander General Allen had also offered a “personal apology” to Pakistan army chief.
Clinton’s statement came as Pakistan held a meeting of its Defence Committee for Cabinet (DCC), chaired by Prime Minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf, to discuss the Nato blockade.
US to release $1.1b in CSF funds
The United States will release about $1.1 billion to Pakistan’s military as part of a deal that will see Islamabad lift a blockade on NATO supply convoys into Afghanistan, a US official said Tuesday.
The money, from a US “coalition support fund” is designed to reimburse Pakistan for the cost of counter-insurgency operations, had been withheld due to tensions between the two countries and Islamabad’s closure of the supply routes.

Long awaited apologies are warmly received and ever eager Islamabad reopens NATO supply line. They say there would be no proposed repairing of Pakistani roads ruined by NATO's heavy traffic and there is not going to be any bigger transit fee on NATO containers as it was proposed US $5000 per container, which US and NATO strongly condemned. So basically it's just restoration of the situation which was before that attack on Pakistani check post.

Few people deny to accept this notion and they say it's Pakistan getting indulged in same war again and we should be ready to lose another 75 bn dollars and a lot of innocent lives. Taliban have threatened to attack Pakistani civilians and military personals in case of reopening NATO supply line.

Whatever I would call this a difficult but only doable decision. Our friend China even advised us to not create enmity with a group of strong nations. Plus after Musharraf's dictatorship, it is first Pakistani Govt. which took stand on some issue and told Americans that insulting us while they need our cooperation is not in their best interest. Should I say that I praise this military and civil elite? Answer is no. Why they took this stance and why America had to face dire consequences as their expenses shoot up due to this stoppage. Because our military is a sabre rattling military and they want to show Pakistani people that they don't make compromises on national security so when it is time to take popular decisions like supply stoppage military takes the credit, but when it is time to take difficult decisions they push politicians for this. At this occasion politicians were also helpless as this is election year so they took more stern steps in this regard. This let Americans know that they are gonna get doomed and they issued apologies. Whatever credit goes to the worst democracy of Pakistani history. Your thoughts.

[JP226]

I don't even want to know how much we had to bribe those asshats. Or did we just threaten to cut off their funding and apologize on the surface? I'm guessing the former.

[mrmouth]

There was a lot of apologizing immediately after the incident. In the end, justified or not, The Pakistanis did lose 20+ people.

The NATO/ISAF investigation showed that Pakistan fired first. Combined with a long history of us glassing bad guys (recorded for posterity) near Pakistani border posts, it simply made sense to assume that before anyone investigated anything. And of course there were other incidents. We have operated along multiple borders without incident in the last 10+ years. The Iranians routinely take shots at us from across the border in both Iraq and now Afghanistan and we have never had an exchange. So that should tell you something.

They (Pakistan) also have a fine habit of firing into Afghanistan, at Afghan positions.

The result of Pakistan's investigation of course was almost completely opposite from ours. They wanted a new apology based on their investigation. So we finally gave in. Im sure some of that has to do with not only negotiations going nowhere, but Washington hoping that people simply do not care anymore.

In reality all it does is enable a duplicitous country that we still unfortunately need. We can get roughly 80% of supplies through the northern route, but fuel is a different issue.

[Pontifex Maximus]

Another mewling infant of a nation quelled so the US and friends can continue to play crazy Islamist whack-a-mole. How long has the war been going on again?

If the government is going to insist on playing some sort of political game in the middle east, I recommend we change gears into some sort of guessing the number of jelly beans in the jar game, but instead of guessing jelly beans we try to estimate how many metric tons of the Pakistani people would collectively produce if the US government started widescale backing, funding, and training of Indian military forces. All of this to satisfy my perverted sense of humor, of course.

[frozenprince]

Another mewling infant of a nation quelled so the US and friends can continue to play crazy Islamist whack-a-mole. How long has the war been going on again?

Too long.

[Phier]

the US is "sorry for the losses suffered by the Pakistani military in Salala. I reiterated our deepest regrets for the tragic incident in Salala last November. I offered our sincere condolences to the families of the Pakistani soldiers who lost their lives.

Thats not really an apology.

[Seether]

Thats not really an apology.

So the US should not apologize when they make a mistake and kill innocent civilians or military members of "allied" nations? Is that somehow good foreign policy? I'm really starting to realize that all this Republican whining is because Obama is black. Nothing riles up staunch conservatives more than a black man getting out of place

[Whukid]

So the US should not apologize when they make a mistake and kill innocent civilians or military members of "allied" nations? Is that somehow good foreign policy? I'm really starting to realize that all this Republican whining is because Obama is black. Nothing riles up staunch conservatives more than a black man getting out of place

Well now.. What do we have here..? Would that be a generalized blanket statement about all Republicans and therefore Conservatives?

[Seether]

Well now.. What do we have here..? Would that be a generalized blanket statement about all Republicans and therefore Conservatives?

Republicans =/= Conservatives. A Democrat can be a fiscal conservative and a Republican can be social liberal. Do try to keep up, you're making this too easy.

[Poet]

I don't even want to know how much we had to bribe those asshats. Or did we just threaten to cut off their funding and apologize on the surface? I'm guessing the former.

Arrogance in this post suits to my lazy nature. I know who is saying and why.
Thank you.

There was a lot of apologizing immediately after the incident. In the end, justified or not, The Pakistanis did lose 20+ people.

The NATO/ISAF investigation showed that Pakistan fired first. Combined with a long history of us glassing bad guys (recorded for posterity) near Pakistani border posts, it simply made sense to assume that before anyone investigated anything. And of course there were other incidents. We have operated along multiple borders without incident in the last 10+ years. The Iranians routinely take shots at us from across the border in both Iraq and now Afghanistan and we have never had an exchange. So that should tell you something.

They (Pakistan) also have a fine habit of firing into Afghanistan, at Afghan positions.

The result of Pakistan's investigation of course was almost completely opposite from ours. They wanted a new apology based on their investigation. So we finally gave in. Im sure some of that has to do with not only negotiations going nowhere, but Washington hoping that people simply do not care anymore.

In reality all it does is enable a duplicitous country that we still unfortunately need. We can get roughly 80% of supplies through the northern route, but fuel is a different issue.

1: We cannot rely on NATO investigations in a matter where NATO is the offender.

2: In last few weeks every second day I read about a TTP attack from Afghanistan on our border check posts so we have every right to hit them in Afghanistan, on border or within our territory.

Another mewling infant of a nation quelled so the US and friends can continue to play crazy Islamist whack-a-mole. How long has the war been going on again?

If the government is going to insist on playing some sort of political game in the middle east, I recommend we change gears into some sort of guessing the number of jelly beans in the jar game, but instead of guessing jelly beans we try to estimate how many metric tons of the Pakistani people would collectively produce if the US government started widescale backing, funding, and training of Indian military forces. All of this to satisfy my perverted sense of humor, of course.

1: You and your Western partners already sit India on giant pile of nuclear and conventional weapons in your hate against China, without thinking of your "ally" Pakistan, be it communist era or post 9/11 era. You can speed this process of making India filthy rich with every type of weaponry and your touts in our civil and military would do nothing, yet any true representative would arm Iran and Venezuela with nukes in response to this US madness.

Thats not really an apology.

And day is not bright and night is not dark. I agree. For your satisfaction there is nothing in apology and restoration of supply to make any Pakistani happy or satisfied. We lost a lot and we are going to lose a lot, at least we should have asked for reparation of roads and high transit fee. Your country is like a blood sucking leech, living on blood of others. So give good news to your country men that their favorite hobby of ruling this world on others' expenses would be uninterrupted on lowest rates ever imagined with any state. Our lives and already dead economy gonna bear the costs of new American madness.

[Glista]

2: In last few weeks every second day I read about a TTP attack from Afghanistan on our border check posts so we have every right to hit them in Afghanistan, on border or within our territory.

Talibs from Afg. attack targets in Pak. and vice versa. Create both countries to mistrust each other. Brilliant classical strategies

[Tiberios]

Let me guess, NATO is behind this?

[Whukid]

Who the hell cares? According to the US troops who called in the Airstrike, those ers were shooting at them and giving the Taliban shelter. If there's anyone who should be apologizing, it should be the Pakistani's.


Seether, how exactly is that not racist and bigoted to categorize every conservative American with an extremist group that really isn't conservative?

[Poet]

Who the hell cares? According to the US troops who called in the Airstrike, those ers were shooting at them and giving the Taliban shelter. If there's anyone who should be apologizing, it should be the Pakistani's.


Seether, how exactly is that not racist and bigoted to categorize every conservative American with an extremist group that really isn't conservative?

According to our investigations US troops were the mother ****ers who invaded and attacked our post. Salala is not a border check post exactly, it does have a small post on border but Salala is situated deep in Pakistani territory. That was an intentional attack which lasted for more than an hour when your Generals were told again and again that those were Pakistani soldiers. Your "sorry we did wrong" is based on our investigations, not on yours.

[Seether]

Seether, how exactly is that not racist and bigoted to categorize every conservative American with an extremist group that really isn't conservative? Do you see how that just makes you look retarded?

Now, the fact that Hillary Clinton apologized doesn't surprise me in the least. I wouldn't be surprised if the jackass-in-charge doesn't start sending out campaign donation envelopes to the Pakistani population too..

You just proved my point. Thank you

[Whukid]

Ah, I see. The investigations of a Nation that specifically went out of their way to hide the world's most wanted Terrorist from their "allies" and purposely repress basic human rights are MUCH more accurate than a conglomerate of nations who all are held to a transparency standard and are required to release any and all information acquired concerning the incident. Especially since the Pakistani ISI has had a known connection to the Taliban for years, as has the Pakistani military supplied the Taliban with weapons, training, and transportation since 2002.

Now, the fact that Hillary Clinton apologized doesn't surprise me in the least. I wouldn't be surprised if the jackass-in-charge doesn't start sending out campaign donation envelopes to the Pakistani population too..

[Poet]

Ah, I see. The investigations of a Nation that specifically went out of their way to hide the world's most wanted Terrorist from their "allies" and purposely repress basic human rights are MUCH more accurate than a conglomerate of nations who all are held to a transparency standard and are required to release any and all information acquired concerning the incident. Especially since the Pakistani ISI has had a known connection to the Taliban for years, as has the Pakistani military supplied the Taliban with weapons, training, and transportation since 2002.

Now, the fact that Hillary Clinton apologized doesn't surprise me in the least. I wouldn't be surprised if the jackass-in-charge doesn't start sending out campaign donation envelopes to the Pakistani population too..

1: Pakistan didn't hide OBL, this is what even being said by American officials as they consider that incident a security breach and nothing else.

2: America found and killed OBL, who knows what happened? After your terrorist state invaded and killed hundreds of thousands in Iraq on base of a lie coined by US and UK agencies, I do not give the what your state says.

3: ISI only has links with militants in its region, American CIA develops links in every troubled area of the world. For example they support terrorist Jandollah so Americans blaming Pakistan for militants' support is pot calling the kettle black.

[Seether]

2: America found and killed OBL, who knows what happened? After your terrorist state invaded and killed hundreds of thousands in Iraq on base of a lie coined by US and UK agencies, I do not give the what your state says.

America didn't kill hundreds of thousands of Iraqis. That has been debunked at least a million times, including every 5 seconds that you post it. Besides, the vast majority of Iraqis were killed by fellow Muslims.

[Poet]

America didn't kill hundreds of thousands of Iraqis. That has been debunked at least a million times, including every 5 seconds that you post it. Besides, the vast majority of Iraqis were killed by fellow Muslims.

It was never debunked, when you drop tonnes of explosive, when you fire missiles and when you drone on civilian areas, much civilians die than enemy combatants. I have no intention to have any debate with you on this topic. Lets stick to the topic at hand. Americans should pay some attention at where they are wrong and why word arrogance is often associated with American behavior in general or specifically in int'l politics. If I would be commander of invading armies in Afghanistan (US President), I would never let our relations deteriorate with neighboring state which is providing cheapest and fastest supply line. This is not even smart.

[Seether]

It was never debunked, when you drop tonnes of explosive, when you fire missiles and when you drone on civilian areas, much civilians die than enemy combatants. I have no intention to have any debate with you on this topic. Lets stick to the topic at hand. Americans should pay some attention at where they are wrong and why word arrogance is often associated with American behavior in general or specifically in int'l politics. If I would be commander of invading armies in Afghanistan (US President), I would never let our relations deteriorate with neighboring state which is providing cheapest and fastest supply line. This is not even smart.

Yes, Poet, it has been debunked dozens of times on TWC alone by people using facts.