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Australia urges Pakistan to do more in terror fight
SYDNEY: Australia said Friday Pakistan must do more to counter terrorism but cautioned against jumping to conclusions over Islamabad's efforts to track down Osama bin Laden.As US commandos swooped on Bin Laden's compound this week, the chairman of Pakistan's joint chiefs of staff committee, General Khalid Shameem Wynne, was in Australia for top level defence and security talks.
The visit was hosted by Australian defence head Air Chief Marshal Angus Houston as part of defence talks between the two nations and included meetings with heads of national security agencies.
Defence Minister Stephen Smith, who met with Wynne, said Bin Laden's death was on the agenda.
"General Wynne, like President Zardari, was pleased that Bin Laden had been captured and killed," Smith told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
"I think we have to be careful not to leap to conclusions about state sponsorship or the efforts made in Pakistan to trace down Bin Laden," he added when asked if the issue had been raised.
Nevertheless, Smith told Wynne more must be done to tackle extremism and terrorism in Pakistan.
"We believe that Pakistan has improved its efforts on the counter-terrorism and extremism front, but it does need to do more and I have made that point again to General Wynne," he said.
"But if we want Pakistan to do more on that front, there's no point in Australia, there's no point in the United States, there's no point in the international community walking away.
"Pakistan needs to have all the assistance that it can be provided with by the international community." (AFP)
Courtesy www.geo.tv