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US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said he "hoped" on Wednesday that he will re-establish the difficult relationship with Pakistan, a key player in the Afghan conflict, after cordial meetings in Islamabad, including with the new prime minister. Imran Khan.
The change of tone came just days after Washington confirmed its intention to cancel $ 300 million in military aid, and Khan said he was optimistic about a fresh start in long-term relations between rebel allies.
The former director of the CIA, making his first visit as top US diplomat to Pakistan, told the pool reporters shortly before leaving Islamabad that the "wide range" of topics discussed included efforts to "develop a peaceful resolution in Afghanistan ".
"I hope that the basics we have laid today will set the conditions for continued success," he said – although he added that he There was a "long way to go" before Washington resumed military assistance.
US officials accuse Islamabad of ignoring or even collaborating with groups such as the Afghan Taliban and the Haqqani network, who are attacking Afghanistan from security zones along the border between the two countries.
The White House believes that Pakistan's inter-service intelligence agency and other military bodies have long helped finance and arm the Taliban, for ideological reasons and to counteract Indian influence in Afghanistan.
He believes that a Pakistani crackdown on militants could be crucial for the end of the long war in Afghanistan. Islamabad has long denied the claims.
Canceled military aid registered under a wider freeze announced by the Trump administration in January, aimed at putting pressure on Pakistan – especially the military, widely regarded as controlling foreign and defense policy -.
But Pompeo said before the trip that it was time to "turn the page" and suggested that Khan's election, which is committed to seeking better relations with the United States, could give a new impetus.
Khan and his foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi have also been positive, according to reports from the pool.
"An athlete is still optimistic," said the former cricketer, captain of Pakistan at the World Cup victory in 1992, when he was asked about the need to find a new way with Washington . "He walks on the ground and thinks he's going to win."
Qureshi, meanwhile, has described his meeting with Pompeo as "excellent".
– "Shared goal" –
Pompeo, who was later joined by General Joe Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, also planned to meet Pakistan's army chief, General Qamar Javed Bajwa.
In his comments before the trip, Pompeo said that in his conversations with Khan, they agreed that peace in Afghanistan was a "common goal".
In his previous comments, Pompeo also spoke of the possibility of restoring military aid under the right circumstances.
The $ 300 million was part of the Coalition Support Fund, set aside to repay Pakistan's expenditures in counterterrorism operations and help pay Islamabad for allowing US and other supplies of NATO supplies to Afghanistan.
"We were providing these resources when it made sense for the United States because the partnership was in a place where the actions of our two countries made sense for that," said Pompeo.
"If this happens again, I am confident that we will present to the President the reasons for this."
The latest remarks represent a change of tone with regard to the nuclear-armed Muslim country and its new Prime Minister, a former playboy cricketer who came to power in July, fearing to remain tolerant to the groups. terrorists.
At the time of the vote, the United States noted what they called "flaws" in Pakistan's pre-election process, but said they were nonetheless ready to work with the new government.
Pompeo also confirmed that Zalmay Khalilzad, former US ambassador to Kabul, Baghdad and the United Nations, would be appointed to lead peace efforts in Afghanistan.
"Ambassador Khalilzad will join the State Department team to help us in the reconciliation effort, so he will come and be the head of the state department to this effect, "he said.
Pompeo spent only a few hours in Pakistan before heading to New Delhi, where he will be joined by Defense Secretary Jim Mattis to meet with their Indian counterparts on various defense and trade issues.
The conciliatory remarks of US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo against Pakistan come just days after Washington confirmed its intention to cancel $ 300 million in military aid for the lack of decisive Islamabad operations in favor of Pakistan. of US strategy in the region
