US links aid to visas for trainers

Pakistan

US links aid to visas for trainers

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Pentagon has linked restoration of aid to Pakistan allowing back US trainers.

13 July,2011 10:24 pm

Pentagon spokesman Col Dave Lapan said if Pakistan takes back military trainers and issues visas to other staff, aid could be restored.With tensions between the two countries already high, the Obama administration said Sunday it was suspending $800 million in aid to Pakistan, signaling a tougher stance toward what it considers a critical but sometimes unreliable ally.The US suspended military aid to Pakistan following Islamabad’s request for a “significant cutback” of American military trainers on its soil.The suspended aid, which is about one-third of the USD 2 billion in annual American security assistance to Pakistan, includes about USD 300 million to reimburse Pakistan for some of the costs of deploying more than 100,000 soldiers along the Afghan border to combat terrorism.A report earlier said ISI chief arrived in the US for meetings with officials.