‘Neither side could afford to shun the other’:
Pakistan too important to turn our back on -Clinton
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Thursday that Pakistan was
too important for Washington to turn its back on, following ice-breaking
talks with her Pakistani counterpart.
Clinton and Hina Rabbani Khar spoke for an hour and a half on the
sidelines of a London conference on Somalia, in a first step towards
thawing relations that were frozen in November when US air strikes
killed 24 Pakistani soldiers.
Clinton said there would still be “ups and downs” in the relationship
but that neither side could afford to shun the other.
“Building and sustaining a relationship based on mutual interest and
mutual respect takes constant care and work, from both sides,” Clinton
told a press conference.
“I'm sure we will continue to have our ups and downs. But this
relationship is simply too important to turn our back on -- for both
nations.
“And we both remain committed to continue working to improve
understanding and cooperation.” Relations between Pakistan and the
United States were severely damaged last year by a covert American raid
that killed terror chief Osama bin Laden, as well as the air strikes on
the soldiers.
Clinton and Khar discussed tackling violent extremism, supporting
Afghan-led reconciliation and improving ties between Washington and
Islamabad, the secretary of state said.
She spoke of “difficult times which I admit we are in”, adding that
there had been “a lot of swirling in the air of who said what when that
does not accurately reflect the state of the relationship”.
The meeting was an important chance to “keep the lines of
communication open” and “the work hasn't stopped”, she added.
The United States says Pakistan's tribal belt provides sanctuary to
Taliban fighting in Afghanistan, Al-Qaeda groups plotting attacks on the
West, Pakistani Taliban who routinely bomb Pakistan and other foreign
fighters.
President Barack Obama last month confirmed for the first time that
US drones target Taliban and Al-Qaeda militants on Pakistani soil, but
American officials do not discuss details of the covert programme.
The US strikes are deeply unpopular among the Pakistani public, who
see the attacks as a violation of sovereignty and who blame the
government's US alliance for much of the violence plaguing the country.
AFP |