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http://sg.news.yahoo.com/020717/1/30lq0.html Wednesday July 17, 18:52 PM Pakistan gets more US aid for supporting battle against terror The United States will increase aid to Pakistan by almost two-thirds in recognition of its backing for the war against terrorism, a top US aid official said here. The newly appointed head of the US Agency for International Development (USAID), Mark Ward, said the agency hoped to raise the current level of support from 50 million dollars to 80 million dollars in the next US financial year, which starts October 1. "We are planning a budget of 80 million dollars for the next year," Ward told reporters. He made the announcement two days after re-opening the USAID office in Pakistan, after a seven-year closure. USAID ceased operations in Pakistan in 1995 after Washington was unable to certify whether Pakistan had nuclear devices. Pakistan was later sanctioned by the US for detonating nuclear devices in 1998. Those sanctions were lifted in December as a reward for Islamabad's pivotal role in assisting the US-led military campaign in Afghanistan and the wider crackdown on terrorism. "Pakistan always matters to the US," Ward said at a press conference in the heavily guarded American Center in downtown Islamabad. "Everybody knows our commitment to Pakistan and what it is doing for the fight against terrorism." Ward said the allocation of 50 million dollars in the current US financial year was in addition to a direct grant from Washington of 600 million dollars in December. He said the total US financial assistance had ballooned to over 625 million dollars this year from just two million the previous year, underscoring the importance the US placed on Pakistan. Future USAID projects would focus on boosting economic growth, education, health care and "good governance," Ward said, adding that the US was also keen to ensure that there was a free press in Pakistan. "This is something I would like to discuss with people like you," he told reporters. He said the US was also ready to help train legislators who will be elected in October parliamentary elections, the first since a military takeover in October 1999. Pakistan, ruled by military dictator and self-declared president Pervez Musharraf, became a crucial supporter of the battle against terror following the September 11 attacks in the US. Apart from abandoning its support of the hardline Taliban regime in neighbouring Afghanistan and providing key logistical support for US operations there, its forces have been hunting down al-Qaeda fugitives in its western border tribal belt and other parts of Pakistan. __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Autos - Get free new car price quotes http://autos.yahoo.com --------------------------- ANTI-NATO INFORMATION LIST ==^================================================================ This email was sent to: [email protected] EASY UNSUBSCRIBE click here: http://topica.com/u/?a84x2u.bacIlu Or send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] T O P I C A -- Register now to manage your mail! http://www.topica.com/partner/tag02/register ==^================================================================
