US, Pakistan begin talks to review economic ties

– File Photo

WASHINGTON: A high-level Pakistani delegation arrived here  on Wednesday for talks aimed at reviewing economic ties between the two countries.

The delegation, headed by Finance Minister Abdul Hafeez Shaikh, started their meetings with US officials hours after their arrival. Their first meeting was with Elizabeth Littlefield, who heads the Overseas Private Investment Corporation. It was followed by a meeting with Deputy US Trade Representative Ambassador Demetrios Marantis.

Pakistani officials say the two meetings reflect their desire to go beyond financial assistance in seeking to improve their economic ties with the United States.

Both officials the delegation met on Wednesday can help improve trade and investments between the two countries.

The visit is part of the US-Pakistan strategic dialogue, which remained suspended for more than a year as relations between the two countries nose-dived.

Diplomatic observers point out that the revival also reflects a serious desire in both countries to rebuild their ties on ground realities,
reducing expectations and listening to each other’s grievances.

Pakistan is also believed to have assured the United States that it no longer sees Afghanistan in terms of “strategic depth” in a possible conflict against India.

This change in approach has helped greatly in improving its relations with the US after more than a year of continued tensions.

But there’s another factor that also helped improve bilateral ties, the US decision to withdraw most of its troops from Afghanistan by 2014,
which, according to diplomatic sources, further increases Pakistan’s role in stabilising Afghanistan.

On the question of what to expect from each other, Pakistan is believed to have told the Americans that it’s willing to cooperate in stopping cross-border attacks in Afghanistan.

But in return, the United States should reconsider its drone attacks inside Fata, as they create more enemies than they kill. They also cause a lot of civilian deaths.