US AID TO PAKISTAN: Ephemeral, Invisible, too little and useless
Will the ROZ ever really materialize? Is it a smoke screen for CIA operations?
$40 Billion has been pldeged for Afghanistan. Pakistan got $5 billion!!! US aid: Pakistan gets less than 50% of actual amount spent on war
Pakistan has been given pennies on the Dollar. Out of the aid given to Pakistan, half of it stays in the USA, and another 25% is spent on logistics. US again offers peanuts in aid. Pakistanis want to reject and negotiate up.
The ROZ aid has been announced one more time–this time as a bill in the US Congress. President Bush ahd announced the formation of the ROZ along the Pakistani and Afghan border region several years ago. Nothing has materialized and the only thing that the Pashtuns of FATA and NWFP have received from America are bombs and rockets from predator drones.
The US has not armed the Frontier Constabulary with choppers, drones, machine guns, bullet proof vests, or airiel predator drones. All the promises from Washington have been empty.
Afghanistan has received $25 Billion in aid from the USA. Pakistan received $ 5 Billion. Kabul has been promised $40 Billion for the next five years. Pakistan gets $ 5 billion.
Pakistan is of course Americas favorite whipping boy
Renegotiating the US-Pakistan alliance: Correcting the price tag. GWOT counterpoints to USA
ROZs bill before US Congress* State Dept worried labour provisions may hamper economic opportunities for Pakistan
WASHINGTON: A bipartisan group of United States lawmakers on Friday introduced a bill in the House of Representative (lower chamber of Congress) on creating Reconstruction Opportunity Zones (ROZs) in Pakistan and Afghanistan.
The Bush Administration has welcomed the move.
The State Department said ROZs would make a valuable contribution towards regional growth, prosperity and stability by attracting private investment for these critically important areas through trade incentives.
“Economic opportunities generated by ROZs constitute a key component of our long-term strategy to counter conditions in which terrorism, drug trafficking and other activities threatening US and global security thrive,” State Department spokesman Tom Casey said. Casey expressed the administration’s support for Representative Van Hollen’s efforts to advance the US national security objectives in these critical regions.
Opportunities: “We share the goal of protecting workers rights, and favour the inclusion of labour criteria in the legislation. We are concerned, however, that some labour provisions contained in the bill may prove impractical and ultimately hinder our common goal of bringing economic opportunity to the people of Afghanistan and Pakistan and supporting their democratically-elected governments,” he said.
“We look forward to working with Congress in a bipartisan and constructive manner to address these issues, and to getting an effective ROZ programme enacted into law this year,” he added. app
Press Statement
Tom Casey, Deputy Spokesman
Washington, DC
June 27, 2008
Reconstruction Opportunity Zones
We are pleased that Representatives Chris Van Hollen, Peter Hoekstra, Sander Levin, Mark Steven Kirk, Gary Ackerman, and Sheila Jackson-Lee have introduced legislation (H.R. 6387) supporting the establishment of Reconstruction Opportunity Zones (ROZs) in Afghanistan and the border areas of Pakistan.
The Administration has supported this goal since 2006, when President Bush first announced the initiative. By attracting private investment to these critically important areas through trade incentives, ROZs will make a valuable contribution to regional growth, prosperity, and stability. Economic opportunities generated by ROZs constitute a key component of our long-term strategy to counter conditions in which terrorism, drug trafficking, and other activities threatening U.S. and global security thrive.
For these reasons, the Administration welcomed the introduction of ROZ legislation by Senators Cantwell, Hatch, Bond, Lieberman, and Hagel in March. As introduced, S. 2776 would accomplish the President’s objectives and make a strong bipartisan statement on America’s commitment to the people of Afghanistan and Pakistan.
We strongly support Representative Van Hollen’s efforts to advance our national security objectives in these critical regions, and thank him for his leadership. We share the goal of protecting workers’ rights, and favor the inclusion of labor criteria in the legislation. We are concerned, however, that some labor provisions contained in the bill may prove impractical and ultimately hinder our common goal of bringing economic opportunity to the people of Afghanistan and Pakistan and supporting their democratically-elected governments.
We look forward to working with Congress in a bipartisan and constructive manner to address these issues, and to getting an effective ROZ program enacted into law this year.
2008/529
Released on June 27, 2008
