News
Friday, May 06, 2011
Relations with Pakistan productive, but not easy* Hillary Clinton says Pakistan remains an important partner
ROME: The United States relationship with Pakistan is not always easy but has been productive for both sides, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on Thursday, after the killing of Osama Bin Laden raised questions about the alliance.
Clinton acknowledged that Washington’s relationship with Islamabad was awkward at times, but said it was still important.
“It is not always an easy relationship, you know that,” Clinton said, ahead of a meeting in Rome of a NATO-backed coalition against Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi.
“But on the other hand it is a productive one for both our countries and we are going to continue to cooperate between our governments, our militaries, our law-enforcement agencies but most importantly between the American and Pakistani people.”
Clinton said Bin Laden had been a clear target for the United States for almost 10 years but his death did not end the battle against terrorism. But she refused to comment on details of the special forces operation in which he was killed, which she watched unfolding on a live video transmission.
“Let us not forget that the battle to stop al Qaeda and its affiliates does not end with one death. We have to renew our resolve,” Clinton said at a joint press conference with Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini.
“The death of Bin Laden deals a significant strategic blow to al Qaeda,” she said, adding, “His ideology of hatred and violence is thankfully being rejected in what we see going on in the Middle East and Africa.”
“Our resolve is even stronger following Bin Laden’s death because we know it will have an impact on those who are in the battlefield in Afghanistan.”
She described the 38 minute duration of the operation to kill Bin Laden, which she followed in real time alongside President Barack Obama and other senior officials at the White House, were “the most intense” of her life.
“His death will make our country and the world safer. We are builders not destroyers,” she added.
US President Barack Obama resisted pressure from aides to release photographs of Bin Laden’s body, saying the images could incite violence and be used by militants as a propaganda tool.
“I think that, given the graphic nature of these photos, it would create some national security risk,” Obama told the CBS programme “60 Minutes”.
“There’s no doubt that Bin Laden is dead,” Obama added. “And so we don’t think that a photograph in and of itself is going to make any difference. There are going be some folks who deny it. The fact of the matter is, you will not see Bin Laden walking on this earth again.” Photographs acquired by Reuters show three dead men (not including Bin Laden) lying in pool of blood. agencies
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk