ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf said on Tuesday that Pakistan's continued closure of ground routes that NATO nations use to supply troops in Afghanistan is damaging ties with the United States and other countries.

 "The continued closure of supply lines not only impinges on our relationship with the U.S., but also on our relations with the 49 other member states of NATO/ISAF," Ashraf told senior government and military officials, according a statement issued by his office.

The two countries are expected to announce a deal to reopen the routes, shut since 24 Pakistani soldiers were killed by NATO aircraft last November, as early as Tuesday evening.

Ashraf's statements were made at the beginning of a meeting of the defence committee of the cabinet. Following the meeting, no decision was immediately announced to reopen the
closed routes, which have become a headache for NATO nations, costing the United States an extra $100 million a month. AGENCIES