Marc Grossman to be the new US envoy to Afghanistan, Senetor John Kerry visits Islamabad amid Davis row; Top US lawmakers reject Pakistan aid cuts over Davis issue; Pakistan hopes to reschedule US, Afghan talks
  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Email
  • Whatsapp
  • Linkedin
  • Print

    • In a significant development, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has chosen Marc Grossman as the new United States’ special envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan. The position fell vacant due to demise of Richard Holbrooke. Grossman, a former US Ambassador to Turkey, retired from the State Department in 2005 after three decades in US diplomatic service.1

    However, US Senetor John Kerry visited Pakistan on a mission to resolve a diplomatic row over an American official Davis who is facing charges of killing two Pakistani citizens. Sources in US embassy in Islamabad noted that Kerry will meet Pakistan government officials to reassure them of long-term US commitment to Pakistan.2 Meanwhile, reports noted that top US lawmakers rejected talk of cutting aid to Pakistan as leverage to win the release of Davis. Despite the deep and growing frustration in the US Congress over the dispute, lawmakers were keenly aware of the need not to destabilize Pakistan at a time when Washington relies on Islamabad in Afghanistan and elsewhere.3

    In another development, government of Pakistan expressed hope that postponed talks with the United States and Afghanistan would be rescheduled soon, despite a deepening diplomatic crisis over the ongoing detention of a US official. The US State Department postponed the talks, set for this month, following failed attempts to get Pakistan to release Raymond Davis, who is accused of double murder and has been held in Lahore. The annual talks, in which ministers and other top officials review the war in Afghanistan and the fight against militants, had been rescheduled for February 23-24 in Washington.4

    Top