WASHINGTON: The United States, senior bureau official for South and CentralAsian Affairs, Alice Wells has said that US has put Pakistan on noticeagainst and expects unequivocal cooperation in ending the sanctuaries theTaliban have been enjoying in its territory.
She said this in an official testimony before the House Foreign AffairsCommittee. She added that US expect from Pakistan its clear cooperation toend safe havens of Taliban since the remnants of their leaderships fledinto Pakistan in 2001.
Alice Wells acknowledged that Pakistan can play an important role and haslegitimate interests it wants to ensure are met during any peace process.
She said that the dialogue that we have with Pakistan seeks to addressthose concerns while also encouraging additional concrete support forAfghan peace efforts.
However, still US administration has not yet seen Pakistan take thesustained or decisive steps that it would have expected to see ten monthsafter the announcement of the South Asia strategy.
Alice Wells added that If Afghan troops and Taliban foot-soldiers can praytogether, and then the Afghan people have every reason to believe thattheir leaders can come together and negotiate an end to this war and addingthat achieving progress toward this goal is among our highest diplomaticpriorities.
Wells added that the Taliban must renounce violence, break ties withal-Qaida, and accept the Afghan Constitution.
The US will support the government and all Afghan stakeholders as they workto reach a mutually agreeable negotiated settlement that ends the conflictand ensures Afghanistan is never again used as a safe haven for terroristgroups, Wells said.
Ambassador Wells added that US administration are also working to end thesanctuary that the Taliban have enjoyed for decades in Pakistan and toencourage fighting elements within the Taliban to consider localarrangements to de-escalate the levels of violence.
Laying out four key areas where the administration wants to help bolsterprospects for an eventual settlement of the conflict, she said that the USsupports Afghan efforts to reduce violence and protect a peace process fromspoilers.
The administration supports Afghan government reforms and also encouragesAfghans from across the political spectrum to come together in support ofpeace and to put the interests of their country first during upcomingparliamentary and presidential elections.