Carving Away at U.S. Arms Controls
By Tamar Gabelnick
Soon after the September 11 attacks, when it became clear that Pakistan would be a key player in the counter-terrorism effort, President Bush lifted the nuclear-related sanctions on Pakistan, as well as India (to play fair). But additional legal restrictions were still blocking arms exports to Pakistan. In mid-September, the administration sent a bill to Congress to sweep aside all arms export controls for the next five years. This would have allowed military aid to states that had not cooperated on terrorism or that had egregious human rights records.
The proposal was amended to lift remaining barriers on arms and aid to Pakistan only for two years. The new law exempts Pakistan from a ban on aid to governments that undergo a military coup; allows for greater flexibility for Pakistan on sanctions related to Military Technical Control Regime or Export Administration Act violations; and exempts Pakistan from restrictions on aid relating to loan defaults.
Source: FAS Public Interest Report, Federation of American Scientists Nov./Dec. 2001. Online
at http://http://www.fas.org/faspir/2001/v54n6/asmp.htm>
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U.S. Giving $100 Million a Month to Pakistan
The Bush administration's commitment to help cover Pakistan's military costs in support of U.S. forces in Afghanistan is about $100 million per month, media reports said. This far larger than previously disclosed and total hundreds of millions in still unpaid bills. The Bush administration has been struggling to win approval of Congress, which "has been kept largely in the dark about the costs."
Source: Times of India, Jan. 24, 2002