US in talks with Pak over free movement of American diplomats

Washington, Aug 2: US has said it is in talks with Pakistan over the free movement of its diplomats in that country, following reports that US Ambassador Cameron Munter was stopped at Islamabad Airport over travel permit issues.

"The issue is the right of our diplomats to freely travel," State Department spokesman Mark Toner told reporters.

"We have met with Pakistani officials on this matter both in Washington and in Islamabad, and we believe it can be resolved," Toner said.

US Ambassador Cameron Munter was reportedly stopped at Islamabad airport on Sunday by officials enforcing a rule that required all foreign diplomats to have a "no-objection certificate" for travelling outside Islamabad.

"In fact, I just learned today that diplomats were able to travel between Islamabad and Peshawar. And I would just say, speaking on a broader level, that we're working cooperatively with the government of Pakistan to resolve the issue," Toner said.

"We obviously raised our concerns. We feel that we're making progress towards resolving the issue," he said.

The US official, however, refused to respond to questions on whether America had threatened to place similar restrictions on the movement of Pakistani diplomats here.

PTI