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US military aid linked to "conditionalities" not in either country's interest: Haqqani

London, Feb.7 (ANI): The United States' military aid to Pakistan should not be dependant on "conditionalities", Pakistan's Ambassador to the US Hussain Haqqani has said.

Haqqani said the aid being provided to Pakistan by Washington should not be accompanied by any terms and conditions.

"Assistance that is conditional is never good," The News quoted Haqqani, as telling a UK newspaper.

Haqqani's comment comes a day after the US Vice President Joe Biden announced that the new Obama administration is planning to send 1.5 billion dollars (1.2 billion euros) of military aid to Pakistan.

Reports suggest that US would also impose conditions to ensure that the military assistance to Pakistan goes towards fighting insurgents in Afghanistan, and not towards building up defences against India.

Haqqani stressed that the conditional help would not benefit either of the two countries.

"Our advice has been that while we can always discuss what the Americans would prefer, conditional aid is not going to serve US or Pakistani interests," he said.

Reiterating Pakistan's firm stand on tackling the menace of terror, he said the country is facing a turbulent situation due to terrorism, and not because of India.

"Pakistan is focussing on fighting its 'primary threat', which comes from 'terrorism' and not from our eastern neighbour," Haqqani added. (ANI)

Colombo: US, Italy Ambassadors injured

Colombo, Feb 27:  At least six people, including the US and Italian Ambassadors to Sri Lanka, have been wounded in suspected LTTE shelling in the Eastern Batticaloa district today, military and diplomatic sources here said. According to the sources, the military helicopter carrying Sri Lankan Minister for Disaster Management and Human Rights Mahinda Samarasinghe, US Ambassador to Sri Lanka Robert O Blake and Italian Ambassador Pio Mariani, was landing when the shells suspectedly fired by the LTTE hit the landing pad.....
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