Saturday, July 12, 2008: NEW YORK: Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi Friday held discussions with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on enhancing Pakistan-US cooperation in economic, energy and security fields.
According to Geo News correspondent, after an hour long meeting with the top U.S. diplomat, Qureshi told reporters at the State Department that they also discussed strategic partnership dialogue due next month The two senior officials also discussed fight against extremism along Afghan border including efforts towards jirga meeting to be convened shortly between Pakistani and Afghan tribal representatives.
Responding to a question on the notion of foreign forces carrying out anti-terror action on Pakistani side of the Afghan border, Qureshi said Pakistan’s concerns are known to the United States and reaffirmed Islamabad’s stance that only Pakistani troops would act against terrorists on its soil.
“Pakistan is doing whatever is possible” in the counterterrorism efforts as it wants stability and peace, he stated, standing alongside Pakistan’s ambassador to the United States Husain Haqqani.
“Pakistan will do so in our own interest, we want a stable environment in that region, we want a peaceful and stable Afghanistan,” he said.
Answering another question, the foreign minister said Pakistan is pursuing a multifaceted strategy to address the menace of extremism.
Earlier, Qureshi held an important meeting with UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in which Secretary General assured to bestow commission for probing into Benazir Bhutto’s assassination.
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