Cross posted from The Democratic Daily:
Senate Dems are putting pressure on Pakistan and threatening to "withhold delivery of jet fighter planes to Pakistan if it does not intensify its campaign against terrorists."
At stake is the long-delayed sale of 18 new jet fighters, an opportunity to buy 18 more and refurbishing 34 used aircraft already in Pakistan's air force arsenal.
Although the Bush administration has already "opposed an even tougher move in the House," yesterday, Senators John Kerry, Chris Dodd and Joe Biden introduced a resolution "expressing that U.S. military assistance to Pakistan should correlate to that country’s success in countering al Qaeda and the Taliban."
Biden, Kerry and Dodd, the three senior members of the SFRC will seek to have the resolution added to the "comprehensive 9-11 legislation being considered in the Senate" and it is intended to put Congress on record as making clear that military assistance to Pakistan will be assessed in the context of efforts in cracking down on the Taliban and Al Qaeda.
Kerry said yesterday on the resolution: "As the Senate works to implement the 9/11 Commission’s recommendations to make our country safer here at home, we must never forget of the importance of going after the terrorists before they can strike. Our top military and intelligence officials report that the resurgent Taliban is using the tribal regions of Pakistan as a base to launch attacks against coalition forces in Afghanistan. It’s unacceptable that a newly regenerated Al Qaeda is again finding sanctuary to plot new attacks. While it is important to recognize Pakistan’s many important contributions to the fight against terror, it is obvious that more remains to be done. This resolution sends a clear message that Congress is watching Pakistan’s efforts to crack down on the Taliban and Al Qaeda closely, and will consider progress when determining appropriate levels of U.S. military assistance."
Senator Joe Biden, Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee added: "This legislation reinforces the message coming from both Congress and the Executive Branch: the government of Pakistan has got to do far more to crack down on Taliban and Al Qaeda operations. Our goal here is to improve cooperation with Pakistan. If we see Pakistan moving in the right direction on counterterrorism, democratization, and other issues, our aid levels should reflect this improvement. But decision-makers in Pakistan should recognize that the reverse is also true."
And Senator Chris Dodd noted: "The fact that the Taliban and Al Qaeda have established critical sanctuaries in Pakistan from where they continue to launch and plan attacks five years after 9/11 is simply unacceptable. It reflects the misguided priorities and policies of this administration in fighting the war on terror. The Government of Pakistan has been a pivotal partner in the war on terror and Pakistan has itself endured acts of terrorism and sectarian violence. But the Government of Pakistan must do more in apprehending members of the Taliban and Al Qaeda and preventing their operations on its territory. Stronger US-Pakistan relations depend on it."
The Hill reports further on the Kerry, Dodd, Biden resolution:
The resolution states that American policy is to maintain and strengthen its long-term relations with Pakistan and that the U.S. will work with Pakistan to clamp down on international terrorism and stop al Qaeda and Taliban operatives from using Pakistani territories as safe havens.
Additionally, the United States will work with Pakistan’s government to prevent nuclear-weapons proliferation and dismantle existing proliferation networks.
The resolution also encourages the Pakistani government to work toward transitioning to fully democratic systems of governance and suggests that the United States should implement a robust aid strategy in areas such as education, governance, rule of law, women’s rights, medical access and infrastructure development.
If the Senate resolution, which emphasized U.S.-Pakistan cooperation, passes as part of the 9/11 bill, it would differ significantly from legislation already adopted by the House as part of H.R. 1. The legislation crafted in the House Foreign Affairs Committee sets limitations on security assistance to Pakistan. Pakistan’s embassy in Washington has been lobbying to thwart the potential sanctions included in the House bill, fearing that the blunt legislation could alter Pakistan-U.S. relations.
If Pakistan does not heed the message the Senate resolution is sending, the Senate could adopt the House approach when the two 9/11 bills go to conference, according to a congressional source.