“Distrust lingers on both sides,’’ Clinton said. “We need to work together carefully to prevent misunderstandings and disagreements from derailing the progress we have made in the past two years.’’
Relations with Pakistan have plummeted to their lowest point in recent years since the arrest of an American embassy employee in Lahore. The employee, Raymond Allen Davis, shot and killed two Pakistani men he says were trying to rob him on Jan. 27.
The United States insists that Davis was acting in self-defense and qualifies for diplomatic immunity because he worked for the embassy. US officials are demanding Davis be released immediately.
Pakistani authorities have refused thus far to release Davis and have questioned his immunity status.
Clinton said Pakistan’s public finances are in disarray and that energy shortages are hampering economic growth and causing political instability there.
“Shocking, unjustified anti-Americanism will not resolve these problems,’’ she said.
Pakistan has a responsibility to ensure that the Afghan Taliban cannot continue to conduct the insurgency from Pakistan’s territory, Clinton said.
“Pressure from the Pakistani side will help push the Taliban toward the negotiating table and away from Al Qaeda,’’ she said.
Clinton issued a warning to the Taliban and other extremists in Afghanistan that they must choose between war and peace as the United States increases military pressure on them.
Clinton said reconciliation is the only way to ensure Afghanistan’s lasting stability and challenge extremists to abandon Al Qaeda and to align themselves with the government for the good of the country and their own safety.
“They cannot wait us out,’’ Clinton said. “They cannot defeat us. And they cannot escape this choice.’’
The United States has increased military pressure on extremists and said it has the Taliban on the run in key areas of the country. Heavy fighting is expected this spring, along with a continued heavy reliance on unmanned drone attacks and secret ground raids targeting militant leaders along the Pakistan border.
“The escalating pressure of our military campaign is sharpening a similar decision for the Taliban: break ties with Al Qaeda, give up your arms, and abide by the Afghan Constitution and you can rejoin Afghan society,’’ Clinton said. “Refuse and you will continue to face the consequences of being tied to Al Qaeda as an enemy of the international community.’’
The United States plans to begin withdrawing troops from Afghanistan this summer, and President Obama has promised that the US combat role will end in 2014.
The administration will begin assessing conditions for possible troop drawdowns next month.
