US to support Pak peace pact with militants

Washington, May 24: United States has stated that it will support any peace agreement signed by Pakistan with militants in the tribal areas bordering Afghanistan, provided such a pact curbs terrorist violence and addresses international concerns.

Commenting on the deals being negotiated in Waziristan, US state department spokesman Tom Casey said that there is a "performance standard for anything like this" . It does not matters whether the Pakistanis talk with the tribal militants and individual groups or not. "The bottom line is if any agreement that is reached actually respond to our concerns and Pakistanis' concerns for providing additional security for ending terrorist violence, ending cross-border violence between FATA and Afghanistan, and being able to address the kinds of concerns about international and domestic terrorism that we all have. We had seen similar kinds of agreements of this type in the past. They have not worked out," he told the Daily Times.

However, he added, that the US will wait and would support any initiative if it brings individuals outside the political process into the mainstream.

ANI