U.S. envoy wants to avoid another Salala-like tragedy

Karachi, July 16 (ANI): A top U.S. diplomat in Islamabad, while describing the NATO air raid on Pakistan's border posts in the Salala area of Mohmand Agency as a 'tragedy', said it should be made sure that such a tragedy never happens again.

"It (Salala debacle) became an emotional issue on both sides. It took too long to get it resolved but both sides have learnt from this (as to) how we have to live with each other," The Express Tribune quoted U.S. ambassador to Pakistan, Cameron Munter, as saying.

It is good that people in both countries generally welcomed the 'solution' to the Salala episode, he added.

Pakistan unblocked the NATO supply lines more than two weeks ago after U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton offered a 'near-apology' to Islamabad over the death of 24 Pakistani soldiers in the Salala air strike.

Munter said the deadlock over the NATO routes affected not just Pakistan and the U.S., but 50 other countries whose troops are fighting the militants 'who want to attack Pakistani way of life'.

"The resumption (of NATO supplies) will help Pakistani soldiers as much as it'll help U.S. and ISAF soldiers in the common fight against militants," he added.

Munter said Islamabad and Washington could now start working out other issues that had been put on the backburner for seven months due to the stalemate over the NATO supply lines.

He said that Pakistan's army, its parliament and its executive respect the U.S. and "we want to keep good relationships with them".

However, he admitted the lack of trust between the two countries.

"Unfortunately, some events took place during the last two years that added to the mistrust about the Americans and it will take a lot of time to heal," he added. (ANI)