ID :
185412
Mon, 05/30/2011 - 18:07
Auther :
Shortlink :
http://m.oananews.org//node/185412
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US Secretary of State Ms Clinton exonerates Pakistan over Osama Bin Laden
Islamabad (PPI) Visiting United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton Friday said that the "US had absolutely no evidence that anyone at the highest level of the Pakistan government knew that Osama Bin Laden lived so close to Islamabad."
But at a press conference after talks with President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani, Interior Minister Rehman Malik, Army Chief General Ashfaq Pervez Kayani, she said that the US and Pakistan needed to do more to battle militancy and that bilateral relations had reached "a turning point."
Ms Clinton, who was accompanied by Chairman of US Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen said any peace deal in Afghanistan would not succeed unless Pakistan was part of the process. She expressed Washington's "strong commitment" to relations with Pakistan. "The US had absolutely no evidence that anyone at the highest level of Pakistan government knew where Bin Laden" was and said she would return to Washington "ever more committed" to the relationship.
"This was an especially important visit because we have reached a turning point. Osama Bin Laden is dead but al-Qaeda and his syndicate of terror remain a serious threat to us both," she stated.
Both she and Admiral Mike Mullen thanked their hosts for the warm reception they got, and Mrs Clinton several times spoke of the sacrifices Pakistan had made in the fight against Islamic extremism, something Pakistanis feel the US does not acknowledge enough.
But she also expressed frustration about anti-Americanism and conspiracy theories that mar the relationship, and lamented the fact Pakistanis didn't know the US was their country's biggest donor. She said Pakistanis had promised to take decisive steps in the coming days.
"There is a momentum toward political reconciliation in Afghanistan but the insurgency continues to operate from safe havens here in Pakistan," she added, saying she believed that Pakistan and the US had the same goals. It is first such high-level visit to Pakistan since the killing of al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden on 2 May by American special forces in Abbottabad.
Ms Clinton denied that the meetings, held under tight security, were tense and said she had heard Pakistan commit to "some very specific action" against militants for which the country "deserved more credit."
Her visit comes a day after the US announced it was withdrawing some of its troops from Pakistan, at Islamabad's request.
She acknowledged the ''sacrifices made every single day by the men and women Pakistan's military and its citizens."
But at a press conference after talks with President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani, Interior Minister Rehman Malik, Army Chief General Ashfaq Pervez Kayani, she said that the US and Pakistan needed to do more to battle militancy and that bilateral relations had reached "a turning point."
Ms Clinton, who was accompanied by Chairman of US Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen said any peace deal in Afghanistan would not succeed unless Pakistan was part of the process. She expressed Washington's "strong commitment" to relations with Pakistan. "The US had absolutely no evidence that anyone at the highest level of Pakistan government knew where Bin Laden" was and said she would return to Washington "ever more committed" to the relationship.
"This was an especially important visit because we have reached a turning point. Osama Bin Laden is dead but al-Qaeda and his syndicate of terror remain a serious threat to us both," she stated.
Both she and Admiral Mike Mullen thanked their hosts for the warm reception they got, and Mrs Clinton several times spoke of the sacrifices Pakistan had made in the fight against Islamic extremism, something Pakistanis feel the US does not acknowledge enough.
But she also expressed frustration about anti-Americanism and conspiracy theories that mar the relationship, and lamented the fact Pakistanis didn't know the US was their country's biggest donor. She said Pakistanis had promised to take decisive steps in the coming days.
"There is a momentum toward political reconciliation in Afghanistan but the insurgency continues to operate from safe havens here in Pakistan," she added, saying she believed that Pakistan and the US had the same goals. It is first such high-level visit to Pakistan since the killing of al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden on 2 May by American special forces in Abbottabad.
Ms Clinton denied that the meetings, held under tight security, were tense and said she had heard Pakistan commit to "some very specific action" against militants for which the country "deserved more credit."
Her visit comes a day after the US announced it was withdrawing some of its troops from Pakistan, at Islamabad's request.
She acknowledged the ''sacrifices made every single day by the men and women Pakistan's military and its citizens."
