US to triple non-military aid to Pakistan: Clinton

The incoming US administration of president Barack Obama plans to triple its non-military aid to Pakistan to prop-up the democratically elected government there and also use it as a "condition" on commitment for counter-terrorism missions.

Advocating Washington's intention to work more closely with both Afghanistan and Pakistan, the secretary of state designate Hillary Rodham Clinton said this is not only about denying Al Qaida and other extremist groups safe haven, this is about persuading these two countries that their security and their future is also at risk.

Testifying before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Clinton said the new administration would separate military aid from non-military aid to Pakistan.

"The tripling of the non-military aid is intended to provide resources that will both support the Pakistani people but also give some tools to the democratically-elected government to try to start producing results for the people of Pakistan," the former first lady said.

Though Clinton, 61, did not specify the quantum of aid jump to Pakistan, the chairman of the influential Senate Foreign Relations Committee, John Kerry has indicated that a bill authored by senator Joseph Biden could be revived. The proposed legislation will hike non-military aid to Pakistan to USD 1.5 billion annually for five years.

However she said the administration would look at whether it can "condition some of that on the commitment for counter-terrorism missions also." The new administration is inclined to support, when appropriate, a legislation in this regard, she said.

She said that the new administration plans to carry out a policy review on Afghanistan as it is the "highest priority" for the new US president.

"He (Obama) has put forth what he calls the "more for more" strategy," Clinton said. That's if there are to be more troops from the United States, there also need to be more support for that mission from NATO, Clinton said.

During the course of her nomination hearing, she described Pakistan as one of the main challenges being faced by the incoming Obama administration because of Islamabad's nuclear status.

"Pakistan has a particular complexity because of its nuclear weapons capacity," Clinton said.

At the same time, Clinton said she was confident that the new democratically-elected government of Pakistan would cooperate fully with the new Administration in fighting the war against terror in the region.

"The democratically elected government has been saying a lot of the right things with respect to the threat posed by the extremists and terrorists, particularly along the border and in the Federally Administered Tribal Area region in Pakistan," she said.

"This is a very complicated problem. It has many dimensions to it... its relationship with India, with Afghanistan and the role that Iran and others are playing in that region," she said in response to a question.

"So I'm hopeful that we will have a very active, positive relationship with the new Pakistan government. I know that there's a lot of work being done even by the outgoing administration to deepen ties between our country and various institutions in Pakistan," she said.

"We (have to) work more closely with the government of Pakistan to root out Al Qaida and other remnants of terrorist networks so that they don't find safe haven in Pakistan to plan attacks against us or any other country," she said.

Clinton said apart from Pakistan, Iraq, Middle East and Afghanistan also remain on the forefront of the challenges faced by the incoming team.

She also articulated the use of "smart power" to successfully handle the "challenges" faced by the United States across the world.

These challenges range from the two wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, increasing terrorist coming from Pakistan, nuclear weapon ambition of Iran, North Korea, spreading influence of Al Qaeda in Africa to issues like climate change and global poverty, she said.

These threats can't be addressed in isolation. It needs smart power, Clinton said arguing that this is what would help in improving the US image and leadership role in the world, which has been hit by the Bush foreign policy of past eight years.

"Smart Power requires reaching out to both friends and adversaries to bolster old alliances and to forge new ones," Clinton argued.

That means strengthening the alliances that have stood the test of time, especially with NATO partners and US allies in Asia, she said.

"We will build on our economic and political partnership with India, the world's most populous democracy and a nation with growing influence in the world," she said.

While the alliance with Japan is a cornerstone of American policy in Asia, the US also has crucial economic and security partnerships with South Korea, Australia, and other friends in ASEAN.

"We will build on our economic and political partnership with India, the world's most populous democracy and a nation with growing influence in the world," Clinton said.