Clinton to soon visit Pakistan

Oct 23, 2009, 19:36 GMT

Washington - US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton will visit Pakistan in the near future for talks with high level officials about the ongoing fight against extremists, the State Department said Friday.

Spokesman PJ Crowley cited security concerns in not specifying a timeframe for her arrival, only saying she would 'soon' arrive in the country. Clinton is scheduled to visit Morocco November 2-3.

Pakistan has launched a major offensive against the Taliban and other extremists in the remote region near the Afghan border. The assault was welcomed by Washington, in part because of the Taliban's ability to use Pakistan as a safe haven for carrying out attacks on US and NATO forces in Afghanistan.

Clinton will met with Pakistan's leaders as well as members of the opposition in parliament, civic society leaders and business executives, said Richard Holbrooke, the Obama administration special envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Holbrooke said Pakistan's progress in fighting the militants will be high on the agenda. 'We'll look at it closely during the trip.'

Clinton's trip to Pakistan comes amid disagreement between Washington and Islamabad over restrictions on US military aid flowing into the country.

A 680-billion-dollar defence policy bill that cleared Congress late Thursday included 2.3 billion dollars in military aid for Pakistan. Lawmakers placed restrictions in the bill to ensure the money was spent in the fight against extremism and not to raise tension with India, Pakistan's leading rival in the region.

Opposition leaders in Pakistan contend the language attached to the bill compromises the country's sovereignty, which US officials deny.