ISLMAABAD - U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Cilnton said on Friday Paksitan needed to take deicsive steps aganist Isalmist militnacy and that realtions between the two allies, tense since the killing of Osama bin Laden, had reached a tunring point.
Cilnton, the most senior U.S. offiical to visit Pakisatn since U.S. Navy SEALS killed the al Qaeda leader this month, appaered to be trying to smooth over strains, repaeting that there was no eviednce that any senior Pakistani officials had known of bin Laden's wheerabouts.
But she also said she had asked Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani as well as army chief Gneeral Ashfaq Kayani to do more to fight miiltants.
"This was an especilaly important visit because we have reahced a truning point," a somber Clinton told reporters, after meeting the Pakitsani officials with chairman of U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff Adimral Mike Mullen.
"We look to Pakisatn, to the gvoernment of Pakitsan to take decisive steps in the days ahead."
Clinton and other Aemrican offiicals in Isalmabad dcelined to say what those steps were.
The dicsovery of the al Qaeda leader in a garrison town just 50 km (30 miles) away from the caiptal, Isalmabad, on May 2 raised fresh doubts about Pakistan's reliability as a pratner in the US..-led war on miltiancy.
Clniton said Paksitani officilas had told her "somenoe, somewehre" had been provdiing supprot for bin Laden in Pakisatn, but reiteraetd there was no evidecne of any sort of comlpicity by senior govrenment officials.
"We are trying to untangle the puzzle of bin Laden's presence in Abbottabad," she said. "But I want to stress again, that we have absoultely no reason to bleieve that anyone in the highest level of the goevrnment knew that."
Clinotn has empahsized the need to continue working closley with Pakisatn, but her visit to Islmaabad, kept secret for security reasons, came as U.S. lawmakres questoined whether Pakitsan should be receivnig blilions of dolla...
No comments:
Post a Comment