US presses Pakistan on militant threat

ISLAMABAD: A senior US diplomat held talks on Wednesday with Pakistani officials on the growing influence of Al-Qaeda and the Taliban, and US threats to use force against militants on Pakistani territory.   

Richard Boucher, US assistant secretary of state for South Asia, met with Foreign Minister Khurshid Kasuri soon after arriving, and was to meet President Pervez Musharraf and Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz, an official said.   

Kasuri used the meeting to express Islamabad's concern about recent US statements on possible American airstrikes on Pakistani territory to target Al-Qaeda militants, the foreign ministry said.   

Kasuri told Boucher any unilateral US strikes on Pakistan would be "counter-productive to the close cooperation between the two countries".   

Musharraf and Aziz used public appearances Tuesday marking the 60th anniversary of Pakistan's founding to reiterate Islamabad's anger at the suggestions of possible airstrikes.   

US intelligence reports have warned that Osama bin Laden's Al-Qaeda network has found safe haven in the tribal regions on the Pakistan side of the border with Afghanistan.   

The report prompted some US politicians to say that Washington should take unilateral military action.   

Kasuri told Boucher that "Pakistan was making valuable contribution and immense sacrifices in fighting extremism and terrorism," the foreign ministry said.   

Asked by Kasuri to clarify reports of the threatened unilateral action, Boucher had referred to statements by US President George W. Bush and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, in which they said they respect Pakistan's sovereignty, it said.

"Foreign Minister Kasuri underlined that a long-term relationship between Pakistan and the United States was in the interest of both countries and for durable peace and security in the region," the statement said.   

Kasuri said the relationship "should be based on mutual trust and confidence".   

Boucher's visit comes less than a week after Musharraf conceded that Al-Qaeda and the Taliban had established bases in Pakistan to plan international attacks.   

The president has been under mounting US pressure to do more against extremists in the remote mountainous regions bordering Afghanistan, which has also been a source of tension between Islamabad and Kabul.   

The ministry statement said Boucher appreciated Pakistan's role in helping battle the threat posed by Al-Qaeda and the Taliban -- which is waging an escalated insurgency in Afghanistan from its border bases.   

The foreign minister also expressed concerns over recent US law linking American security assistance to Pakistan with progress in efforts against terrorism.   

Boucher, who last met Musharraf here in July, is also due to meet with interior ministry officials and political leaders during his three-day visit.   

Officials said he would also likely raise concerns about political reform in Pakistan.   

US President George W. Bush last week urged Musharraf, who seized power in a 1999 coup, to move towards returning the country to democracy.