Reopening of Nato supply line: decision to be taken by Parliament: foreign office

Foreign Office on Thursday said that decision on reopening of Nato supply line would be taken by the Parliament, which is blocked after the last month deadliest Nato air-strike at Salalah, killing 24 soldiers.
Foreign Office spokesman Abdul Basit during weekly press briefing said that as part of the resumed dialogue process, the fifth round of expert level talks on Conventional Confidence Building Measures (CBMs), and sixth round of expert level talks on Nuclear Confidence Building Measures (CBMs) will be held in Islamabad from December 26-27.
He said that Munawar Saeed Bhatti, Additional Secretary (UN & EC), Ministry of Foreign Affairs, would head the Pakistan delegation for both Expert Groups while on the Indian side, D. Bala Verma, Director General (Disarmament & International Security Affairs) Ministry of External Affairs, would lead the Nuclear CBMs Group and Yashwant K. Sinha, Joint Secretary (PAI), Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), would head the Conventional CBMs Group.
The spokesman further said that foreign secretaries of the two countries met in Islamabad in June 2011 where both sides inter alia agreed to re-convene the two expert groups. These Expert Groups last met in New Delhi in October 2007, he recalled. To a question about findings of US Central Command into Salala border posts attack by Nato helicopters, Basit said that he would not like to speculate at this stage adding that Islamabad will look at the findings very carefully and then articulate its response.
About the reopening of Nato supply line, he said Parliament will decide about Nato supplies adding that Parliamentary Committee on National Security was discussing the matter. He further said that Prime Minister and Foreign Minister have clarified that the decision to cut-off Nato supplies was not to wreck our relations with rest of the world but the exercise was done to streamline our co-operation on such issues.
He said the parliament will decide the relations on the basis of mutual respect and trust. When asked to comment on the US Vice President Joe Biden remarks that Afghan Taliban were not enemies of the US, the spokesman said that the US Vice President had made an important statement, however, declined to comment, saying he had no comment to offer at this stage.
To another question about the serious concerns of Afghan parliamentarians on contacts between Afghan Taliban and US in Qatar, the spokesman said that Pakistan was convinced that peace and stability in Afghanistan will remain elusive without 'genuine reconciliation', adding that Pakistan will continue to play its vital role for 'real reconciliation' in Afghanistan.
He, however, said that it was for Afghans themselves to steer this process and lead it to its logical conclusion. "To this end, the people of Afghanistan can always count on Pakistan's support", he added. Yet to another query whether the US has taken Pakistan on board regarding the talks in Qatar, the spokesman was not able to confirm but stated that "Pakistan strongly believes that without genuine reconciliation process, we can not have peace and stability in Afghanistan and the people of Afghanistan can always count on Pakistan to achieve this goal and, our shared objectives".
He said that wants repatriation of Afghan refugees with dignity and honour, adding that work in this regard was underway in co-ordination with UNHCR. When asked to comment on Afghan President Karzai statement asking Pakistan to directly talk to Afghanistan and not to look at the issue through the US or India or any other country, Basit said Pakistan attaches great importance to its relations with Afghanistan, adding that the relations between the two countries will continue to strengthen independent of the influence of the other countries.
He said that Pakistan has been trying very hard to further deepen these relations to our mutual advantage and on the basis of mutual respect. He expressed the confidence that the mutual relations would continue to strengthen and develop. "There are strong bonds between the people of Pakistan and Afghanistan and our relations are incomparable and unbreakable", he added.