Pakistan's Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar talks to media as she leaves after attending parliament's joint session in Islamabad, Pakistan on Tuesday, March 20, 2012. A parliamentary commission demanded an end to American drone attacks inside Pakistan and an apology for deadly U.S. airstrikes in November, as part of proposed new terms in the country's troubled relations with the United States. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed)
Pakistan's Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar talks to media as she leaves after attending parliament's joint session in Islamabad, Pakistan on Tuesday, March 20, 2012. A parliamentary commission demanded an end to American drone attacks inside Pakistan and an apology for deadly U.S. airstrikes in November, as part of proposed new terms in the country's troubled relations with the United States. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed)
ISLAMABAD (AP) ? A Pakistani parliamentary commission demanded Tuesday an end to American drone attacks inside the country and an apology for deadly U.S. airstrikes in November as part of a review of its near-severed relations with the United States.
The commission was tasked with going over ties with Washington after errant airstrikes killed 24 Pakistani soldiers and led to the closure of U.S. and NATO supply lines to Afghanistan.
The incident presented an opportunity for the army ? furious at the Americans and under public pressure following the raid on Osama bin Laden last year that was seen in Pakistan as a violation of the country's sovereignty ? to gain a negotiating advantage in its turbulent relationship with Washington.
Since November, American officials have cited the importance of the parliamentary review to the restoration of ties with Pakistan. Some have suggested they expect the supply lines to reopen once it was completed and the country had worked through its anger.
"The US must review its footprints in Pakistan," commission head Raza Rabbani said, reading the recommendations. "This means the cessation of drone strikes inside Pakistan."
This demand could complicate efforts to rebuild the relationship. But the commission didn't say the supply lines should be permanently closed, as many Pakistanis would like, rather that the government should charge the U.S. and NATO more money for the privilege.
Washington wants to rebuild its relationship with Pakistan, whose cooperation is seen as key to the success of striking a deal with insurgents in neighboring Afghanistan. Also, the supply lines are important for supplying fuel and other non-lethal goods to troops, and will be crucial to trucking out equipment as the U.S. draws down more soldiers.
The joint session of the parliament was expected to immediately debate the recommendations, but that was shelved after an opposition leader said his party needed time to study them. The issue is to be debated again on Monday.
The army, and to a lesser extent the civilian government, will ultimately decide whether to reopen ties with the United States, but the recommendations of the parliament could influence the decision. Analysts say placing the issue before parliament was to give the government and the army some political cover, so they could claim the support of the country before quietly reopening the supply routes.
The recommendations said any new agreement on the supply lines should have a clause stipulating their closure in the event that Pakistan's sovereignty is violated by the U.S. or NATO, but didn't explicitly mention drone strikes in this regard.
The demand for an "unconditional apology" for the November attacks could also complicate the rebuilding of ties.
Washington has expressed regret for the border incident, but avoided formally saying sorry. U.S. officials were reportedly preparing to apologize last month, but had to postpone the plan after U.S. soldiers burnt some Qurans in Afghanistan. President Barack Obama apologized for that, earning him criticism from political opponents. He also apologized after an American soldier last week allegedly killed 16 Afghan villagers in a shooting spree.
The drone strikes are unpopular among Pakistanis and have long been publicly opposed by the Pakistani army and government, which maintain they fan support for militancy even as they kill insurgents also targeting them. But their frequency has dropped significantly in recent months, which makes them less politically explosive.
The issue is muddied, however, by the fact that in private the army has been known to approve at least some of the strikes, and provide intelligence on them, raising questions over whether they technically violate the sovereignty of the country as their detractors in Pakistan claim. American officials rarely talk about the program in public or answer questions from reporters about it.
"The is neither the first time, not will it be last, that the parliament has demanded an end to drone strikes," said Samina Ahmed, who heads the International Crisis Group in Pakistan. "This is more performance than substance. The military is still the key actor as far as security policy is concerned."
She said the security establishment had "no expectation" that the drone strikes would end.
Privately U.S. officials have said the drone strikes are key to the war against al-Qaida and the Taliban. Washington is seen as unlikely to permanently stop them, regardless of what parliament says, which has often issued resolutions against the attacks.
Pakistan, which had supported the Afghan Taliban, sided with the United States after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, earning it billions of dollars and ending its international isolation. It needs American assistance to keep its economy afloat, while the U.S. needs its help in reaching a deal with the Afghan Taliban, whose leaders are believed to be on its soil and subject to the influence of its security forces.
Gen. James Mattis, commander of U.S. Central Command, said earlier this month he expected to visit Pakistan in mid-to-late March to talk with leaders about reopening the supply routes. His would be the first trip by a U.S. military official since the airstrikes, and will be taken as a high-level sign that Pakistan's army leadership wants to re-engage.
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Associated Press writer Chris Brummitt in Islamabad contributed to this report.
Associated PressSource: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2012-03-20-AS-Pakistan/id-7d16e15d579f415d89b27d938852f784
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