US urged Zardari to reject Iran’s oil offer: WikiLeaks
24 May, 2011
KARACHI: A secret diplomatic cable has revealed that the US forced Pakistan to reject Iran’s concessional oil offer.
According to the cable, President Asif Ali Zardari was urged by a US official not to agree to Iran’s concessional oil offer as it would be providing Iran with a foothold in Pakistan.
The cable filed on October 22, 2008 by former US ambassador Anne Patterson revealed that Zardari told US Assistant Secretary Richard Boucher that Iran’s proposal was an offer he could not refuse but Boucher reminded him of the Deputy Secretary’s caution of not allowing Iran to gain presence in Pakistan.
The meeting between the two officials took place at the Aiwan-e-Sadr on October 18 where the president expressed reluctance upon Boucher’s request to turn down Iran’s offer. He was concerned that how could he go to the National Assembly and tell them Iran had offered the assistance and Pakistan has refused it.
In another cable filed on May 26, 2009, a Congress delegation also met President Zardari and reminded him of the US caution but the President said that Pakistan is desperately seeking new energy resources to fulfill its need but no other country is ready to help except Saudia Arabia.
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