Pakistan yearns for trusted, long-term ties with the US

Mar 18, 2010, 16:06 GMT

Islamabad - Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said Thursday that his country would seek a broad-based, long-term partnership in next week's strategic dialogue with the United States.

'Development assistance is important but cannot be the sole driver of the bilateral relations between the two nations,' he told a news conference, days ahead of the first ministerial-level strategic dialogue scheduled for March 24-25 in Washington.

Qureshi and US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton will lead the respective sides in the talks, aimed at improving the security, economy and energy supply of Pakistan, the chief US ally in the war on terror.

The two countries interact closely in Afghanistan but mutual suspicions loom large, occasionally stalling progress in the war against militants.

'I believe our forthcoming dialogue will provide a good opportunity to re-build confidence and trust on both sides; we need to build comfort on all sides,' Quereshi said.

The two countries agreed to institute the dialogue process during a visit by former president George W Bush to Pakistan in March 2006. It was upgraded to ministerial level last year during a visit by Clinton.

Pakistan will propose cooperation in 10 vital areas, ranging from counter-terrorism to energy, economy, education, agriculture and communication technologies, but regional security issues will dominate the talks.

Islamabad has launched successive military action against the Taliban in areas borderiong Afghanistan, which Qureshi termed as a mark of Pakistan's sincerity to root out militancy from the region.

'Pakistan is no longer viewed a safe haven, as there is a change of perception about Pakistan and its role in the war against terrorism has been recognized,' he said.

The US has already announced a 7.5-billion-dollars aid package for the next five years.