Obama signs aid package bill for Pakistan
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U.S. President Barack Obama signed a 7.5 billion dollar aid package for Pakistan into law on Thursday, supporting for Pakistan's efforts on developing economy, strengthening democracy and combating extremism.
The Enhanced Partnership with Pakistan Act of 2009 "is the tangible manifestation of broad support for Pakistan in the U.S., as evidenced by its bipartisan, bicameral, unanimous passage in Congress," said White House spokesman Robert Gibbs in a statement.
According to the spokesman, this act formalizes the strategic partnership between the United States and Pakistan, which is based on a shared commitment to "improving the living condition of the people of Pakistan through sustainable economic development, strengthening democracy and the rule of law, and combating the extremism that threatens Pakistan and the United States."
Under the non-military aid act, which is said by Washington as "without conditions," the United States will offer Pakistan 1.5 billion dollars a year for five years.
"The legislation does not seek in any way to compromise Pakistan's sovereignty, impinge on Pakistan's national security interests, or micromanage any aspect of Pakistani military or civilian operations," said the act's sponsors, Senators John Kerry and Richard Lugar and Representative Howard Berman, on Wednesday in an "explanatory statement."
Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, who was in Washington for a clarification on the massive aid package, welcomed Wednesday that the statement as "historic" and "a step forward in our relationship."
In Pakistan, some senior government and military figures worried that the U.S. aid package would interfere with Pakistan's internal affairs.
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