04-16-2009, 07:04 PM
<b>Saudis show âmuted interestâ in helping Pakistan</b>
<i>* WSJ report says if Riyadh does not contribute, Islamabadâs efforts to meet its obligations could be undermined
* Says it will mean that Saudi Arabia does not support Zardari govt</i>
LAHORE: The Obama administrationâs efforts to help raise $4 billion to $5 billion at an international conference in Tokyo on Friday <b>to help Pakistan are being hampered by Saudi Arabia,</b> according to the Wall Street Journal.
The paper claimed on Tuesday that the Saudis had expressed only âmuted interestâ in supporting Pakistani.
The paper pointed out that Riyadh has close ties with Nawaz Sharif, who has emerged as a serious challenger to President Asif Ali Zardari.
<b>Obligations : f Saudi Arabia does not contribute, it could undermine Islamabadâs efforts to meet its obligations.</b> Last November, Pakistan was forced to turn to the International Monetary Fund for $7.6 billion in loans to avert a balance-of-payments crisis.
Signal : A pass by Saudi Arabia would also send a signal that it does not support the Zardari government.
Riyadh took part in a meeting last week in Dubai to address Pakistanâs finances but declined to make a formal pledge. An official at the Saudi Arabia embassy in Washington declined comment.[/b] Saudi Arabia has traditionally been among Pakistanâs largest donors and strategic allies. During the 1980s, Saudi Arabia cooperated closely with Washington and Islamabad to expel Russian troops from Afghanistan.
<b>More recently, however, the US and Saudi Arabia have taken differing positions on Pakistanâs leadership.</b> In late 2007, Riyadh negotiated a deal with President Pervez Musharraf, without seeking American consent. This allowed Sharif to return home although US has long voiced scepticism about his ties to religious parties. Zardari who leads the ruling Pakistan Peopleâs Party is largely viewed as pro-West. <b>Saudi Arabia is currently giving Pakistan 80,000 to 100,000 barrels of oil a day â roughly $5 million in aid.</b> Saudi Arabia is also sending a delegation to the Tokyo conference, and <b>an Arab diplomat said he would be âsurprisedâ if Riyadh did not pledge more money. The US and Japan are each expected to pledge $1 billion according to the officials involved in the negotiations. The European Union, the UK and the United Arab Emirates are each expected to pledge as much as $500 million.</b>
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