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One-time waiver to Pak on military parts embargo

In a major boost for Pakistan, President George W Bush on Monday provided a one-time waiver on the current ban on military technology transfers to Islamabad, facilitating the export of select attack helicopter and Armored Personnel Carrier (APC) spare parts and ammunition to Pakistan.

Bush authorized Secretary of State Colin Powell to transmit his waiver and certification to the appropriate committees of the congress for their approval.

The one-time waiver provided by Bush followed some astute diplomacy by Pakistan, where it skillfully used an offer to contribute to the United Nations peacekeeping force to Sierra Leone while simultaneously requesting these military spare parts from the US to support such a mission.

Administration officials made it clear that the US is in no way trying to induce Pakistan into sending peacekeeping troops to Sierra Leone by providing this one-time waiver and that this offer by Islamabad had been made to the United Nations.

Officials explained that the one-time national security waiver had been provided for under the Brownback Amendment and would not constitute a change in policy whereby the ban on military technology to Pakistan would be lifted.

They emphasized that the administration has no intention whatsoever of compromising its commitment to non-proliferation, which was the reason why Pakistan was denied military aid in the first place and then subsequently hit with sanctions that banned the transfer of military technology.

The officials said no legislation would be necessary for approval of the president's one-time waiver, but simply a notification of intent to congress that it is going to provide the requested military spares to Pakistan.

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