미국, 3억 달러 규모 파키스탄 군사원조 취소 US military confirms $300m cut in aid to Pakistan

US military confirms $300m cut in aid to Pakistan

Decision taken over perceived failure to tackle militants further strains Washington relations

The US has confirmed it will cut $300m in aid to Pakistan over its perceived failure to tackle militant groups, ratcheting up the tension in a deeply strained relationship ahead of a visit to Islamabad by the secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, on Wednesday.

Mike Pompeo will face a frosty welcome in Islamabad after counselling against an IMF bailout for Pakistan. Photograph: Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images

미국, 3억 달러 규모 파키스탄 군사원조 취소  미국이 파키스탄에 대한 3억 달러(약 3353억원) 규모의 군사 지원을 취소했다고 BBC가 1일(현지시간) 보도했다. 이번 조치는 도널드 트럼프 행정부가 지난 1월 밝힌 대(對) 파키스탄 군사 원조 중단 계획의 일부다.  콘 포크너 미 국방부 대변인은 1일 성명을 통해 “우리는 모든 테러 집단을 목표로 삼도록 파키스탄을 압박하고 있다”며 “파키스탄의 ‘결정적 조치’가 없었기 때문에 3억 달러의 지원금은 다른 곳에 사용될 것”이라고 밝혔다. 이번 조치는 마이크 폼페이오 미국 국무장관의 파키스탄 방문을 앞두고 나왔다.  트럼프 행정부는 그동안 거액의 군사 지원금을 제공했음에도 파키스탄이 테러 소탕 활동을 제대로 하지 못했다는 입장이다. 그동안 미국은 아프간 정부에 위협을 가하고 있는 테러단체 하카니가 파키스탄에 은신처를 두고 있다는 문제제기를 해왔다. 트럼프 대통령은 지난 1월 1일 트위터를 통해 “미국이 어리석게도 지난 15년 간 파키스탄에 330억달러(약 35조2605억원) 이상을 원조했지만 파키스탄은 우리 미국을 바보로 생각해 속이고 기만할 뿐 아무것도 보답하지 않았다”고 밝혔다.   그는 “파키스탄은 우리가 아프가니스탄에서 추적하고 있는 테러 분자들에게 안전한 피난처를 제공하고 있다”며 “더 이상은 안 된다”며 파키스탄이 테러 조직을 완전히 소탕하지 않을 경우 모든 군사 원조를 중단하겠다고 위협했다. 이와 함께 미국은 지난달 31일 유엔 팔레스타인 난민구호기구(UNRWA)에 대한 자금 지원도 중단하기로 했다. 【서울=뉴시스】동아일보

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The so-called Coalition Support Fund was suspended earlier this year after Donald Trump tweeted that the US had received nothing but “lies and deceit” in return for $33bn (£25bn) of financial support to Pakistan since 2002.

On Saturday, a spokesperson for the Pentagon said that “due to a lack of decisive actions in support of the South Asia strategy, the remaining $300m was reprogrammed”, withdrawing for good a previous offer to unfreeze the funds if Pakistan took decisive action against militant groups.

The Trump administration says Islamabad offers sanctuary to Taliban fighters waging a 17-year war in Afghanistan, a charge Pakistan denies.

The Pentagon spokesman Lieut Koné Faulkner said the funds would be reassigned to other “urgent priorities”, following approval by Congress.

Imran Khan’s new government offered no immediate response but the prime minister has called for “more balanced” relations with the US and is seeking to shift Pakistan’s foreign policy away from a “clientalistic” relationship with the US, whose drone attacks and war on terror he blames for fostering extremism within Pakistan, towards allies closer in the region.

Analysts noted the timing of the Pentagon’s announcement may reflect irritation within Washington at Khan’s decision to welcome the Iranian foreign minister, Javad Zarif, as his first diplomatic guest and the former cricketer’s subsequent statements of support for the nuclear deal that Trump recently reneged upon.

“It was a very warm welcome,” said Sehar Tariq of the US Institute for Peace, “signalling a desire to work closely with Iran while the US is trying to shut co-operation could be seen as a direct contradiction [of American policy]”.

The Coalition Support Funds technically offer reimbursement to Pakistan’s military for its operations against terrorists, of which army officials often lament a lack of recognition – particularly given a drastic reduction in terrorist attacks within Pakistan since a campaign launched in 2014.

The loss of funds would not hurt the army immediately, Tariq said, but might affect its ability to replace ageing equipment. Meanwhile, scores of army officials have also been cut from coveted training and educational programmes in the US, Reuters reported this month, a blow to one of the hallmarks of a longstanding military alliance.

        

Last week, a scheduled call between Pompeo and Khan sparked controversy after Pakistan’s foreign minister, Shah Mehmood Qureshi, accused the US of lying by saying in a read-out that Pompeo had pressed the prime minister to take “decisive action” against terrorists.

Pompeo will face a particularly frosty welcome in Islamabad after recently counselling against an IMF bailout for Pakistan, whose fast-depleting foreign exchange reserves threaten financial crisis, because the money might end up repaying debts owed to China.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/sep/02/us-military-confirms-300m-cut-in-aid-to-pakistan

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