President Asif Ali Zardari of Pakistan was snubbed by Barack Obama at the Nato summit over a refusal to back down on demands that troops pay £3,000 for every lorry crossing the border into Pakistan, it has been claimed.
Tensions between the US and Pakistan have been running high following several incidents, including the US raid in Pakistan that led to the death of Osama bin Laden and a US air strike that killed two dozen Pakistani soldiers.
Both countries have been seeking to restore normal relations.
Pakistan closed the roads nearly six months ago in protest of an errant Nato air strike that killed Pakistani soldiers. The two nations are now haggling over the price the alliance will pay, with Pakistan demanding many times more per truck than they were paid a year ago, US officials said.
President Zardari was a last-minute addition to the list of leaders at the summit in President Obama’s hometown. But it remains unclear if he will agree to reopen routes to Nato traffic.
Hillary Clinton, the US secretary of state, met President Zardari to discuss efforts to reopen major roads used to supply Nato fighting forces in Afghanistan.
Tensions between the US and Pakistan have been running high following several incidents, including the US raid in Pakistan that led to the death of Osama bin Laden and a US air strike that killed two dozen Pakistani soldiers.
Both countries have been seeking to restore normal relations.
Pakistan closed the roads nearly six months ago in protest of an errant Nato air strike that killed Pakistani soldiers. The two nations are now haggling over the price the alliance will pay, with Pakistan demanding many times more per truck than they were paid a year ago, US officials said.
President Zardari was a last-minute addition to the list of leaders at the summit in President Obama’s hometown. But it remains unclear if he will agree to reopen routes to Nato traffic.
Hillary Clinton, the US secretary of state, met President Zardari to discuss efforts to reopen major roads used to supply Nato fighting forces in Afghanistan.
