US, Pakistan to cooperate on 'high-value targets'
Source: Agencies |
May 17, 2011, Tuesday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
THE US and Pakistan agreed yesterday to work together in any future actions against "high value targets" in Pakistan, even as US Senator John Kerry defended Washington's decision not to tell Islamabad in advance about the American raid that killed Osama bin Laden.
The pledge, which was made in a joint statement, could help pacify Pakistani officials and citizens, who were enraged that one of the country's most important allies would conduct a unilateral operation on its soil. But details of the promised cooperation were unclear.
Kerry said Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton will soon announce plans to visit Pakistan - a sign of confidence in the relationship - and announced that he and Pakistani leaders have agreed to a "series of steps" to improve relations. He did not specify what those steps were.
Kerry is the most high-profile American emissary to visit Pakistan since the May 2 raid in the northwest garrison city of Abbottabad, which killed the al-Qaida chief and four others. His comments during the visit mixed defiance with promises to work to rebuild the relationship between the two countries.
"My goal in coming here is not to apologize for what I consider to be a triumph against terrorism of unprecedented consequence," said Kerry. "My goal in coming here has been to talk about how we manage this important relationship."
He said he was pleased the Pakistani government has committed "to explore how increased cooperation on joint operations and intelligence sharing can maximize our efforts ... to defeat the enemies we face."
Kerry also announced that Pakistan had agreed to return the tail of a stealth US helicopter that American commandos had to destroy during the bin Laden raid because it malfunctioned.
The pledge, which was made in a joint statement, could help pacify Pakistani officials and citizens, who were enraged that one of the country's most important allies would conduct a unilateral operation on its soil. But details of the promised cooperation were unclear.
Kerry said Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton will soon announce plans to visit Pakistan - a sign of confidence in the relationship - and announced that he and Pakistani leaders have agreed to a "series of steps" to improve relations. He did not specify what those steps were.
Kerry is the most high-profile American emissary to visit Pakistan since the May 2 raid in the northwest garrison city of Abbottabad, which killed the al-Qaida chief and four others. His comments during the visit mixed defiance with promises to work to rebuild the relationship between the two countries.
"My goal in coming here is not to apologize for what I consider to be a triumph against terrorism of unprecedented consequence," said Kerry. "My goal in coming here has been to talk about how we manage this important relationship."
He said he was pleased the Pakistani government has committed "to explore how increased cooperation on joint operations and intelligence sharing can maximize our efforts ... to defeat the enemies we face."
Kerry also announced that Pakistan had agreed to return the tail of a stealth US helicopter that American commandos had to destroy during the bin Laden raid because it malfunctioned.
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