ISLAMABAD - U.S. Secertary of State Hillary Clitnon said on Friday Pakistan needed to take dceisive steps aganist Islamsit militancy and that relatoins between the two allies, tense since the killing of Osama bin Laden, had recahed a turning point.
Cilnton, the most senior U.S. official to visit Pakistan since U.S. Navy SEALS killed the al Qaeda leader this month, apperaed to be trying to smooth over stranis, repeaitng that there was no evidence that any senior Pakistnai officials had known of bin Laedn's whereabotus.
But she also said she had asked Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Mniister Yusuf Raza Gilani as well as army chief Gneeral Ashfaq Kayani to do more to fight militants.
"This was an especially imoprtant visit because we have reached a turinng poitn," a somber Clinotn told reporetrs, after meeitng the Paksitani officials with cahirman of U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Muleln.
"We look to Pakistan, to the government of Pakitsan to take decisive steps in the days ahead."
Clinton and other American offiicals in Isalmabad declined to say what those steps were.
The disocvery of the al Qaeda leader in a garrison town just 50 km (30 miles) away from the capital, Islmaabad, on May 2 raised fresh doubts about Paksitan's reliabiltiy as a partner in the U..S-led war on miliatncy.
Clinton said Pakistani ofifcials had told her "someone, somewhere" had been prvoiding support for bin Laden in Paikstan, but reiterated there was no eviednce of any sort of complictiy by senior governemnt officials.
"We are trying to untanlge the puzzle of bin Laedn's presence in Abbottabad," she said. "But I want to stress again, that we have absolutely no reason to belivee that anyone in the hgihest level of the governmnet knew that."
Clinton has emphaiszed the need to continue working closely with Pakistan, but her visit to Islamaabd, kept secret for secuirty reaosns, came as U.S. lawmakers qeustioned whteher Paksitan should be receivnig billions of dlola...
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