Nato supply: US CENTCOM chief to visit Pakistan, discuss ground supply route

Genera­l Mattis is expect­ed to arrive in Pakist­an, within 10 days, to discus­s resump­tion of Nato supply routes.

WASHINGTON: Top US military commander General James Mattis has said he will be visiting Pakistan in the next ten days to discuss re-opening NATO supply routes, with officials.

The announcement came after The New York Times first reported in February that the US Central Command (CENTCOM) commander General James Mattis would be visiting Pakistan in an effort to repair ties between both countries.

Testifying at a hearing of the US Senate Armed Services Committee on Tuesday, General Mattis said that the US did need ground lines through Pakistan, and mentioned that he would be meeting Pakistani officials on his trip there in ten days.

Talking about Pakistan’s pending parliamentary review and US-Pakistan relations, General Mattis said that he remained optimistic that they would make progress in this regard.

Relations remain tense between both countries following a NATO airstrike on November 26, 2011, of last year that led to the death of 24 Pakistani soldiers.

General Mattis said that co-operation with Pakistan continues on the Afghanistan-Pakistan border after the NATO airstrike. He added that the border coordination meetings had been taking place at different levels.

In response to a question, General Mattis said that while there was still friction, they were making progress, and had exchanged Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) in near border operations with Pakistan.

When asked by Senator Shaheen over the closure of NATO supply routes by Pakistan, General Mattis said that the US was currently sending supplies to Afghanistan partly by air, sea and through the Northern Distribution Network.

Reports on whether the US would issue a formal or private apology to Pakistan on the NATO airstrike remain unconfirmed.

In response to a question on Pakistan and their progress in acting against controlling the flow of ammonium nitrate used to make Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs), General Mattis said that while it has been an area of frustration, US has had serious dialogue with Pakistan on the subject.

“They (Pakistan) have passed laws to enable them to make arrests that they could not make before and have put together a counter-IED strategy,” adding that he was optimism about progress in this regard, despite there being a need for further discussion with Pakistan on it.

The US General further said that there were a number of factors dominating the issue, including Pakistan’s control over FATA.

In his opening remarks at the hearing, Senator John McCain said, “In Pakistan our relations remain fraught by a series of set backs.” He added that Pakistan’s intelligence service continues to “support terrorist groups like the Haqqani Network.”