WASHINGTON — Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton plans to meet with her Pakistani counterpart in London this week, a sign that months of tension between the two governments may be easing.
The meeting, which U.S. officials said would take place on the sidelines of an international conference Thursday on Somalia, is the first between Clinton and Pakistani Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar since 24 Pakistani soldiers were killed in a U.S. airstrike near the Afghanistan border in November.
The Obama administration has been noticeably quiet about Pakistan, which has said it is reviewing its relationship with the United States. Results of the review, being conducted by a special parliamentary committee, have been repeatedly delayed and are now not expected until after March 2 elections for Pakistan’s Senate.
Pakistani officials have indicated that new guidelines would include a tax on supply convoys en route to the U.S.-led military coalition in Afghanistan. Pakistani border posts have been closed to the convoys since the November incident, leaving hundreds of trucks and containers waiting.
In the meantime, the coalition has depended on stockpiled supplies and expensive alternate routes. Last week, Pakistan said it would temporarily allow perishable food to be shipped to troops in Afghanistan.
