Thursday, February 18, 2010

Hillary praises Pakistan’s ‘valuable’ fight against terror

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Wednesday praised “valuable” US-Pakistan cooperation in fighting extremism, saying the Pakistani leadership “recognises that standing firm against the threat is important to the country’s future”.

In an interview with BBC on Tuesday, the top American diplomat offered no specific comments on the arrest of Taliban leader Mullah Baradar in Pakistan.

“We don’t comment on operations like that. We think less is better, in terms of what anyone knows, or what anyone might speculate on. But the general point is one that I would underscore, that the cooperation is increasing, and it is very valuable,” she told the British broadcaster in Jeddah, according to a State Department transcript released on Wednesday.

“I can express our appreciation for the increasing cooperation between the United States and Pakistan. It is something that I personally believe is in the best interest of both of our countries. And the efforts to combat our common enemy is one that requires this level of partnership,” she remarked. Hillary said the Pakistanis understood that extremists posed a direct threat to their state.

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