US Ambassador admits “big mistake” in bill; army forwards concerns to president

[Naveed Yaseen]

LAHORE: US Ambassador to Pakistan Anne W Patterson admitted on Thursday that clauses in the Kerry-Lugar bill regarding the Pakistan Army “are a big mistake”. Separately, the army has also forwarded its reservations over the bill to the Presidency. According to a private TV channel, Patterson said the US government had gone the extra mile to assure the government that the bill was not detrimental to Pakistan’s sovereignty, but conceded the draft of the bill was poorly written, adding the US would address the concerns of Pakistani politicians and military leadership. She hoped that the leadership of both countries could overcome these concerns through dialogue with military leadership, politicians and the civil society. Patterson said the bill was Pakistan-friendly and there was nothing wrong with it. Also on Thursday, the army sent a formal non-paper to the presidency, expressing its concerns over the bill, the channel reported.Sources in the presidency confirmed that it had received the non-paper and was reviewing its contents, the channel added. daily times monitor

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp...2009_pg1_2