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Pakistan unrelenting in demanding drone strike end
ASPEN, Colorado: Pakistan’s ambassador to the United States says her country will not relent from demanding that the CIA end its drone strikes.
We won't relent in killing terrorists who bother us...
In a debate with White House war adviser Douglas Lute at the Aspen Security Forum, Sherry Rehman said drone attacks have damaged Al-Qaeda but are now only serving to recruit new militants.

“I am not saying drones have not assisted in the war against terror, but they have diminishing rate of returns,” Rehman said by video teleconference from Washington.

With Pakistan’s spy chief, Lt. Gen. Zaheerul Islam, expected to hold his first meeting with CIA Director David Petraeus at CIA headquarters in Virginia next week, the ambassador said, “We will seek an end to drone strikes and there will be no compromise on that.”
We agree, there will be no compromise. It's the one thing Champ is doing that is working...
Lute would not comment on the drone program. US officials have said privately that it will continue because Pakistan has proved incapable or unwilling to target militants the US considers dangerous.

In addition to the end to drone strikes, Pakistani officials say they will ask the US to feed intelligence gathered by the pilotless aircraft to Pakistani jets and ground forces so they can target militants.

Rehman dismissed as “outrageous” the claim that Pakistan is harboring Al-Qaeda or other militants who intend to harm the US She said Pakistan’s army was working hard to combat the militants, including reporting 52 times to NATO in recent months when militants were spotted crossing into Afghan territory.

“Pakistan is maxed out on the international border with Afghanistan,” she said.

“Sovereignty has privileges but also comes with responsibilities,” countered Lute who called for Pakistan to step up its efforts and to cease “hedging its bets” by supporting the Afghan Taleban.

When asked why the Taleban would surrender ahead of the 2014 drawdown of US troops, Lute said a recent security agreement with Afghanistan ensures a long-term US commitment to Afghan security.

“The agreement we’ve made with Afghanistan signals to Taleban that they can’t wait us out,” Lute said. “If they want another decade of this, to get hammered every day and every night,” US and Afghan forces can provide it.

If the Taleban are willing to disarm and respect the laws of the Afghan government, “the door will remain open to negotiation,” Lute said.
Posted by: Steve White 2012-07-29
http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=349241