As partnership frays, US debates aid commitment

AMERICA'S strained relationship with Pakistan has been drawn into sharp focus on Capitol Hill, where politicians questioned the flow of billions of dollars of US aid to a country that appeared not to be an equal partner in the fight against terrorism.

The fallout from Osama bin Laden's killing also triggered a new round of fire in the debate over continuing US troop numbers in neighbouring Afghanistan, with some Republicans challenging the need to continue the mission.

Anger over Pakistan's apparent inability, or unwillingness, to round up bin Laden prompted some Democrats to propose an end to military and economic aid to the nation that has topped $US20 billion ($A18.4 billion) in the past decade. Jackie Speier, a key Democrat on a counterterrorism subcommittee, said: "It really comes down to trust."
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The sentiment reflected a closed-door briefing of members of Congress by CIA director Leon Panetta, who reportedly said of the suspicions: "Either [Pakistan's] involved or they're incompetent: neither place is a good place to be."

He also confirmed that the US had kept the raid secret from its front-line ally because he feared "the Pakistanis could jeopardise the mission", telling Time magazine he thought "they might alert the targets".

President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton have both praised Pakistan this week as a partner in the fight against terrorism, noting that no other country had suffered more from recent acts of terror.

But the administration has made clear, too, that the US is probing the extent of the support networks that enabled bin Laden to shelter in the military town of Abbottabad.

In Pakistan yesterday, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Tehmina Janjua said the government knew about the compound where bin Laden was found - and told the US it was suspicious it harboured terrorists - but America's ''much superior technical assets'' meant they found him first.

Later, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani said the world must share the blame for failing to unearth bin Laden, saying: ''There is intelligence failure of the whole world, not Pakistan alone.''

■ Indonesian terrorist Umar Patek, a key figure in the 2002 Bali bombings, was in Pakistan this year to meet bin Laden, Indonesian Defence Minister Purnomo Yusgiantoro said yesterday.

Patek was arrested in January in Abbottabad, sparking concerns that he was there to renew links between local jihadists and the commanders of al-Qaeda.

Those fears appear to be well-founded after Mr Yusgiantoro confirmed, for the first time, that Patek was seeking an audience with bin Laden.

Source: http://www.smh.com.au/world/as-partnership-frays-us-debates-aid-commitment-20110504-1e8fn.html