ISLAMABAD (Reuters) ? The United States and Pakistan were working to smooth over curbs on diplomats' travels in the country on Tuesday, officials from both sides said, as U.S., Pakistani and Afghan officials met to coordinate efforts to end violence in Afghanistan.
The latest spat that involves Pakistan's recent restrictions on the movements of U.S. diplomats inside the country could strain already prickly ties, vital to Washington's efforts to defeat al Qaeda and stabilize Afghanistan.
The Pakistani foreign ministry says the measure is for their safety but a senior U.S. official said it smacked of "harassment."
U.S. embassy spokesman Alberto Rodriguez tried to play down the dispute, saying much of the ire over diplomats' travel was a "misunderstanding" blown up by the raucous Pakistani media.
"We're working with the Pakistan government to resolve the issue," he said.
A Pakistani foreign ministry official also confirmed that efforts were underway to "address" the matter.
Foreign ministry officials say the restrictions -- requiring diplomats get "No Objections Certificates," or NoCs, from authorities before leaving Islamabad -- are neither new nor specific to U.S. officials. Rather, they were meant to ensure the security of diplomats in a country where Islamist militants have unleashed a campaign of bomb and suicide attacks.
The United States, however, says the Vienna Convention allows freedom of movement for diplomats, especially when traveling to its consulates in Lahore, Karachi and Peshawar.
NoCs have always been required for certain areas of the country, and the United States acknowledges that, a U.S. source familiar with the talks between the two countries said.
What is new is a requirement for diplomats to apply for a NoC to leave the capital, especially to travel to consulates, the source said, adding: "We're getting to an agreement that gives us what we want, and something everyone can live with."
Pakistan is a strategic ally for the United States, but relations have been on downward spiral since the killing of al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden in Pakistan by U.S. forces without informing Islamabad beforehand.
Pakistan reacted with fury to the May 2 raid, which it saw as a breach of its sovereignty, cutting back on U.S. trainers in the country and placing limits on CIA activities. The latest travel curbs seem to be part of same punitive measures.
In a show of displeasure, the United States last month suspended about a third of its $2.7 billion defense aid to Pakistan.
Marc Grossman, U.S. special envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan, was in Islamabad on Tuesday for a trilateral meeting with Pakistani and Afghan officials to coordinate efforts to end violence in Afghanistan.
But Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari's remarks at a meeting with Grossman on Monday, calling for the United States and his country to agree on "clear terms of engagement," reflected troubles in their relationship.
"In the absence of well-defined and documented terms of engagements, wrong plugs may be pulled at the wrong times by any side that could undermine the bilateral relations," Zardari's office said in a statement after the meeting on Monday.
Despite the tensions, however, both sides have tried to prevent a breakdown of relations.
(Additional reporting by Chris Allbritton; Editing by Ron Popeski)
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