Obama, Gilani vow to rescue fraught relations
SEOUL - Agence France-Presse
US President Obama (R) shakes hands with Pakistani Prime Minister Gilani during their bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the Nuclear Security Summit in Seoul. REUTERS photo
U.S. President Barack Obama and Pakistan’s Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani vowed yesterday to rescue a troubled anti-terror alliance which almost ruptured over 10 months of mistrust and recriminations.The leaders met on the sidelines of a nuclear security summit in Seoul, in the highest-level exchange between the two sides since the killing of Osama bin Laden in a clandestine U.S. raid on Pakistani soil last May chilled ties. More recently a new breach opened up over the mistaken killing of 24 Pakistani soldiers in November in U.S. air strikes, which prompted Islamabad to curtail American drone strikes and cut NATO supply lines into Afghanistan.
“There have been times -- I think we should be candid -- over the last several months where those relations have had periods of strains,” Obama told reporters as the meeting opened. “But I welcome the fact that the parliament of Pakistan is reviewing, after some extensive study, the nature of this relationship.
Gilani said: “We are committed to fighting against extremism. We want stability in Afghanistan and Pakistan. “We want to work together with you,” he told Obama.
