US Senator Reassured of Pakistan-Taliban Peace Deal

Senator Russ Feingold, who serves on the Senate's foreign relations, intelligence and judiciary committees has said that he was reassured by Pakistan that it will try to stop terrorists from attacking Afghanistan from inside of Pakistan. Yean riiiiight, and just how is Pakistan suppose to do that if they removed all their troops from Talistan? Reuters

ISLAMABAD, May 28 (Reuters) - A senior U.S. senator said on Wednesday that he had been reassured that whatever peace accords were reached with militants, Pakistan would not tolerate them making cross-border attacks on Western forces in Afghanistan.

"The United States cannot tolerate cross-border raids into Afghanistan on our troops," Senator Russ Feingold, who serves on the Senate's foreign relations, intelligence and judiciary committees, told a news conference in Islamabad.

"And we are pleased that so many people reassured us that it's not something that Pakistan wants to happen, and more importantly is willing to try to make sure that it no longer happens."

....

Pakistan last week struck a peace deal with a militant group, sympathetic to the Taliban, that had been fighting Pakistani security forces in the northwestern valley of Swat.

The new coalition government, formed two months ago, has also been negotiating with elders from the Mehsud tribe in South Waziristan to bring to heel Taliban commander Baitullah Mehsud.

By applying pressure on the tribe, the government hopes it will turn against the militants and make them stop fighting.

"If you are dealing clearly with tribal leaders who are peaceful and simply want to make sure that their region is not affected by terrorism or the Taliban or Al-Qaeda, of course they are the people who are appropriate to negotiate with," said Feingold, a Democrat from Wisconsin.

"But on the other hand, I do oppose agreements with militants. I oppose agreements with the Taliban, I oppose agreements with Al-Qaeda."

Alarmed NATO officials have noted an increase in attacks in Afghanistan while peace talks were underway in Pakistan.

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