Pakistan, U.S. discuss bin Laden raid aftermath
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U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari late Sunday night and discussed ways to ease the tension of bilateral ties that surfaced after the U.S. military helicopters raided a compound in the city of Abbottabad and killed Osama bin Laden.
"Both agreed to resolve the issues amicably and move forward," a statement from the president office said. "The two discussed present situation in the aftermath of the Abbottabad operation."
The president, in the statement, apprised Clinton of the concerns expressed by Pakistan's Parliament over the operation.
Hillary Clinton called the Pakistani president as U.S. influential senator John Kerry met Pakistan's army chief and will meet more Pakistani leaders on Monday.
Army chief General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani apprised Senator John Kerry about "intense feelings of rank and file of Pakistan Army" on U.S. unilateral raid at Abbottabad to kill Osama bin Laden, an army statement said.
John Kerry, Chairman of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, arrived late Sunday night and met with the Pakistan army chief to try to get back on track the relations deteriorated after the U.S. action.
"It was decided to hold detailed discussion on the Pak-U.S. relations during the joint meeting with civilian leadership of the country being held today in Islamabad," a military statement said after Kerry's meeting with the Pakistani army chief.
Kerry is likely to meet President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani. He is expected to meet political leaders during his stay in Islamabad and top military generals.
U.S. media reported that Kerry will carry a list of actions to ease tensions. A senior U.S. official has been quoted as saying that the United States would try to use the threat of Congressional cuts to the 3 billion dollars in annual aid to Pakistan as leverage.
On Saturday, Kerry told reporters in Afghanistan's Mazar-e- Sharif that insurgent attacks in the country are carried out by insurgents trained in Pakistan.
"It is really critical that we talk with the Pakistanis, as friends, in the best effort to try to achieve the most cooperation possible to make all of us safer. We believe that Pakistan itself is challenged from these insurgents, extremists and terrorists," Kerry told reporters ahead of his Islamabad visit.
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