US 'reserves judgment' on Swat 'peace pact'

Washington, May 22 : The US has said that it was closely monitoring the situation in Pakistan's tribal areas where the new PPP-led government had inked a "peace pact" with the Pro-Taliban militants, and that it would "reserve its judgment" over the new development.

State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said last evening that it would monitor how effective the peace pact was in stopping extremist attacks in the Swat Valley.

"We'll see. We'll reserve judgment on these things. What you have to do is get the right mix of elements. What we don't want to see is any sort of effort that results in the violent extremists, militants being able to use the northwestern region for the purposes of planning and launching terrorist attacks," The News quoted McCormack as saying.

Success in fighting militancy involves not just security, but also political and economic measures, he added.

McCormack acknowledged problems with past agreements, but hesitated to say they were similar. "The previous deals have not resulted in a diminution in the influence of those who are committed to the use of violence in those regions," McCormack added.

ANI