SPY EYES

President Barack Obama on Tuesday welcomed the parliamentary review of relations between Pakistan and the United States, and told Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani he hoped that it would lead to a “balanced approach that respects Pakistan’s sovereignty but also respects our concerns with respect to our security and our needs to battle terrorists”.

The much anticipated meeting took place on the sidelines of the nuclear security summit here at which both leaders discussed ways to assuage tensions between the two countries.

It was the first highest-level contact between Islamabad and Washington since the US Navy Seals recovered and killed al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden. The massacre of 24 soldiers in NATO airstrikes on the Salala checkpost in November further strained the already tense relations.

“Prime Minister Gilani has very clearly articulated to President Obama that government as the executive head has asked the parliament to recommend new rules of engagement with Washington,” Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar said while briefing the Pakistani media about the meeting. She, however, dispelled the perception that the government had already decided to revive ties with the United States and the parliamentary review was mere eyewash.During the meeting, which lasted for an hour, the two leaders discussed a wide-range of issues, including bilateral relations and peace and stability in the region.

Obama appreciated Pakistan’s role in fighting terrorism and extremism and said improved relations between Islamabad and Washington were important to achieve success in the ongoing war on terror. Gilani made it clear to him that no war could be won without the ownership of the people. Obama said his country fully recognised and respected the sovereignty of Pakistan but at the same time he stressed the need for protecting the security of the US from terrorists.

Referring to the parliamentary process on the issue of future relations between Pakistan and the United States, he said that his country accorded due respect and honour to the process. “I welcome the fact that the parliament in Pakistan is reviewing, after some extensive study, the nature of this relationship,” Obama said, adding, “I think that it’s important for us to get it right.” Giving his comments to the media along with Gilani at the Coex Convention Centre, the venue of the summit, Obama said both Islamabad and Washington needed to work together for the security and peace in region. He was of the view that stability and security in Afghanistan was important because it would not only benefit Pakistan, but also the entire world. Obama mentioned the fact that during the last several months, Pakistan-US ties had experienced some strains but he welcomed the parliamentary review, adding the nature of relations were important.

The PM told him that Pakistan was keen to improve its relations with the US and wanted the ongoing parliamentary process to revisit the rules of engagement. He agreed with President Obama that stability in Afghanistan would ensure stability in Pakistan. Foreign Minister Khar, who also attended the meeting along with Ambassadors Sherry Rehman and Masood Khan, told journalists that the issues relating to drone attacks and NATO supplies also came under discussion during the Obama-Gilani meeting. Khar disagreed with a questioner who asked her whether the attempts to put relations with the US back on track was the result of any secret deal. “There is no room in the system for striking a deal with anybody. The government is not trying to jump the gun in this regard,” she added.

Pakistan Today