US expected to pressurise Pakistan on nuclear pact during Sharif visit

A formal invitation to Sharif from the White House for the official working visit has already been sent and it is expected that it will be delivered to the Pakistani government by the US Ambassador here, English daily The News said.

Pakistani Foreign Secretary Shamshad Ahmed will be visiting Washington in the middle of November to hold a final round of continuing dialogue with American Deputy Secretary of State Strobe Talbott aswell as to do the groundwork for Sharif8217;s visit, it said.

8220;This is part of our continuing bilateral dialogue with Pakistan but it could be considered a preparation for the prime minister8217;s visit also because all these issues will be on the agenda of prime minister8217;s meeting with Clinton,8221; a US administration official was quoted as saying in Washington by The News.

The issues, which have been under discussion in recent months between American and Pakistani negotiators, include Islamabad8217;s signing the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty CTBT and committing to a moratorium on fissile material production.

The US has been pressing both India and Pakistan to sign and ratify the CTBT and also stop the production of fissile materials in an attempt to promote nuclear non-proliferation in South Asia, and Talbott has held a series of meetings with officials of both the countries in the wake of their nuclear tests.

It is expected that Sharif8217;s meeting with Clinton may be the climax of these negotiations asthe latter is now equipped with an authority by the Congress to lift economic sanctions imposed on both the countries and Pakistan is in a desperate situation to get some economic bail-out package to save its sinking economy.

The meeting between Clinton and Sharif is expected to take place between December 1 and 3 and 8220;the talks with Clinton would include the whole gamut of bilateral issues between the United States and Pakistan and the South Asian regional situation,8221; The News said.

Pakistan8217;s economy is already on the verge of collapse as its foreign exchange reserve has dipped to barely 500 million dollar and it has already defaulted on its debt repayment commitments.

If immediate financial bail-out package was not provided, observers feel the country will slump to its worst ever economic crises in its 50 years of existence.

The International Monetary Fund IMF has also held back the revival of a 1.56 billion dollar soft loan package in view of the Sharif government8217;s actions against someWorld Bank funded independent power producers in Pakistan.

Incidentally, Sharif during his address to the UN General Assembly last month had clearly said that Pakistan was ready to adhere to CTBT by September 1999 but linked his country8217;s adherence with that of India8217;s stand on it.

He also demanded that Pakistan should be treated equally with India on this issue.

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