Hagel to Visit Pakistan Monday
by VOA News December 08, 2013
U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel says he will visit Pakistan on Monday.
Hagel, who has been in Afghanistan since Saturday, will meet Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in the first visit to neighboring Pakistan by the top Pentagon official in several years.
Earlier, Hagel said Afghanistan's defense minister assured him a security pact with the United States will be signed in a 'timely manner' despite Afghan President Hamid Karzai's reluctance.
Hagel met with Defense Minister Bismillah Khan Mohammad in Kabul Saturday. The U.S. defense secretary said he had no plans to meet with President Karzai.
Afghanistan's grand assembly, or Loya Jirga, has urged Mr. Karzai to sign the pact.
'The Loya Jirga came forward in a rather overwhelming and clearly pronounced way, recommending that the bilateral security agreement with the United States be signed by the president. They also emphasized in that recommendation to the president that it be signed very timely.'
Mr. Karzai has refused to sign the security pact, which calls for some U.S. troops to stay in Afghanistan after 2014 to help train Afghan forces in their fight against the Taliban.
Mr. Karzai has said he wants his successor to decide on the security agreement after his country's presidential election in April.
The U.S. has said Mr. Karzai must sign the pact by the end of this year, or the U.S. will have no choice but to withdraw all troops after 2014.
During his visit to Pakistan, Hagel is expected to discuss Afghanistan, security threats and the blockade of a NATO supply route to Afghanistan spearheaded by a political party as a protest against US drone strikes against suspected militants in Pakistan.
Hagel announced his visit to Pakistan during a Sunday meeting with troops at Camp Leatherneck in Afghanistan. The last US defense secretary to visit Pakistan was Robert Gates in January 2010.
|
NEWSLETTER
|
| Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list |
|
|
|
