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Crucial talks between Pakistan and the United States have led to no significant progress, with the negotiators stuck on the issue of an apology by the U.S. over last year's November NATO air raid that killed 24 Pakistani soldiers. According to The Nation, a diplomatic source has said the second round of Pak-U.S. talks on NATO supplies resumption, for which U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense Peter Lavoy had arrived in Pakistan , have failed. "Peter Lavoy will now leave the country empty handed," said the source. However, other diplomatic sources said bilateral talks have not concluded, and that none of the two sides are ready to compromise on the apology Pakistan wants from the U.S. Pakistan 's parliament had made a set of recommendations to the government including blocking NATO supplies to Afghanistan until the U.S. tenders an apology. The U.S. embassy in Islamabad , while down playing the stalemate reports, has said that talks were focusing on bilateral issues and that the NATO supplies issue was not on the agenda. But Pakistani official sources maintained that US apology and reopening of supply lines were directly interlinked. Pakistan cannot compromise sovereignty of its parliament which has also demanded bringing the US drone attacks to immediate end, they added. On the other hand, Army Chief General Ashfaq Pervez Kayani reportedly refused to meet Lavoy after Leon Panetta's accusations that Pakistan has safe havens for militant organisations.

Fresh Pak-US 'reconciliation' talks end in abject failure