Biden rushing to Brussels to consult NATO allies on Afghan-Pak

US president Barack Obama has voiced deep concern over frontier regions of Pakistan remaining "safe havens" for the Al Qaeda and decided to despatch vice president Joe Biden to Brussels to discuss the security situation with NATO allies.

"The safe havens for Al Qaeda remain in the frontier regions of Pakistan," Obama told reporters in response to a question at the White House during a joint press conference with the visiting British prime minister Gordon Brown.

Asked about the attack on Sri Lankan cricket team in Lahore, Obama said he was deeply concerned. "But, let me just make a general statement," he said.

"Both Great Britain and the United States share a deep interest in ensuring that neither Afghanistan nor Pakistan are safe havens for terrorist activity. We have coordinated effectively in the past, but the truth is that the situation in Afghanistan has deteriorated," Obama said.

Referring to the ongoing comprehensive review of US policies with respect to Afghanistan and Pakistan, Obama said: "I will be making a series of announcements prior to the NATO summit that immediately follows the G-20 summit in terms of the direction that the United States would like to go."

Biden will be travelling to Brussels next week to consult NATO allies. "The purpose of his trip is to consult with allies on Afghanistan and Pakistan and to ensure that their views help inform the strategic review ordered by the president Obama," a White House statement said.