* Pakistan presses for swift aid, no commitment received * Donors praise Pakistan for reconstruction plans * Security, reconstruction plans may expand across Pakistan By Paul de Bendern ISTANBUL, Aug 25 (Reuters) - Pakistan failed on Tuesday to secure swift aid from donors to help the cash-strapped country improve security and rebuild the northwest after an army offensive against the Taliban displaced millions of people. Donor countries pledged some $5.7 billion in aid to Pakistan in Tokyo in April but only a fraction has yet arrived, with some donors wanting more details of where the money will go. "Pakistan has urged its friends to expedite (aid) pledges made to Pakistan," Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi told a news conference at the end of the "Friends of Pakistan" conference at an Ottoman palace in Istanbul. But he said his country's presentation of a series of measures aimed at building infrastructure, improving security and reducing poverty in the northwest won praise. "The Pakistanis are more realistic now, they clearly see they need to present concrete plans if they are to receive at a quicker pace," said a Western diplomat, who declined to be named. "This was a good step in the right direction." The funds are a response to a humanitarian crisis created by fighting between government forces and Taliban fighters in northwest Pakistan. Around 2.3 million people were forced to leave their homes after a government offensive against the Taliban. The majority of displaced people have since returned home but need help. Delegates from 20 countries, including U.S. President Barack Obama's special envoy Richard Holbrooke, and leading non-government organisations attended a two-day meeting to discuss Pakistani efforts to improve stability in the cash-strapped country, key to security in the region. Qureshi said donor countries had also agreed to the projects presented by Pakistan to improve stability. Pakistan has so far received $300 million for internally dislocated people, Qureshi told Reuters in an interview. "We need to win the hearts and minds of people and to do that we have to not only protect them but create opportunities for starting a new life and for that we need resources," he said as he argued for a quicker delivery of aid. [nLP65117] Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, who co-chaired the meeting with Qureshi, said a project to address security, the rule of law, investments in infrastructure and public service in Malakand and Swat Valley regions were impressive. "Hopefully we will be able to replicate this model in other areas of Pakistan," Qureshi said. Qureshi said security was steadily improving in Pakistan, and the recent movement of troops towards the Afghan border away from the India border was proof of this, diplomats said. "In my view in the last couple of months the security situation has improved considerably and in the coming few months will improve further," Qureshi said. "The Taliban are on the run. The second and third-tier leadership has been eliminated." Qureshi said the successful army offensive against the Taliban in Swat as well as the death of Pakistani Taliban leader Baitullah Mehsud had created confidence in the Pakistani people. Mehsud led the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan movement. Diplomats told Reuters that Pakistan had made significant headway in dealing with an Islamist insurgency but they remained concerned that Pakistan would slow down its efforts now and a promised offensive against the Taliban in Waziristan would be a good indication of their intentions. (Editing by Louise Ireland)
Mohammed Jawad (R), one of the youngest detainees held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, speaks while sitting with family members at a home in Kabul August 25, 2009, the morning after he ...
Politics of Aid
