ISLAMABAD, March 26: The visiting US Deputy Secretary of State John D. Negroponte and Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Richard Boucher met Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani on Wednesday, concluding their first round of talks with the new Pakistani leadership.

Mr Negroponte, who is returning home on Thursday leaving Mr Boucher behind for a couple of days, said”: “We are quite pleased with our meetings.”

It may be mentioned that US Ambassador Anne Patterson had left for home on a scheduled private visit on Monday, the day the two senior diplomats arrived and Mr Boucher said at a reception that there was nothing unusual about her absence from Islamabad during their visit.

Over the past two days, the US officials met Pakistan Muslim League-N leader Mian Mohammad Nawaz Sharif, Pakistan People’s Party chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari and President Pervez Musharraf.

They also met Awami National Party president Asfandyar Wali Khan in Peshawar.

Prime Minister Gilani, during his meeting with the US officials, reiterated Pakistan’s firm resolve to address the issue of terrorism, but called upon the world community to do more and develop a collective approach.

He said Pakistan had been consistently fighting terrorism and had sacrificed a lot, including the life of its leader Benazir Bhutto.

Mr Negroponte praised Pakistan’s efforts in curbing extremism and terrorism and said the US valued its relations with Pakistan and its people. He said the US wanted to develop a stable and multi-faceted relationship, not restricted to the war on terrorism.

The prime minister made it clear that the new government would continue to fight terrorism in all its forms by using democratic, economic and strategic means. “It is also a matter of concern for us and we will confront it with complete determination.”

He said parliament was a sovereign body and all important policy matters and decisions on important national issues would be taken through parliament. He said every effort would be made to ensure parliament’s supremacy.

Mr Gilani said Pakistan accorded high priority to its strategic relationship with the US and desired to expand the relations in all fields. He said US President George W. Bush had called him and pledged full support to Pakistan in us spheres.The prime minister said economic empowerment of people living along the Afghan border was key to addressing the issue of extremism in the region.

He expressed confidence that the establishment of ‘reconstruction opportunity zones’ would help increase economic activities in the area and create new opportunities for improving the standard of life of the people.

He said Pakistan wanted Afghanistan to grow and prosper because a peaceful, stable and prosperous Afghanistan was in the best interest of Pakistan and the region.

He referred to his telephonic conversation with the president of Afghanistan and the prime minister of India and said they had re-affirmed their desire to establish better relations in the interest of regional peace and prosperity.

Mr Negroponte congratulated the prime minister on assuming the office and assured complete US support for the new government.

Our Washington correspondent adds: Prime Minister Gilani told President Bush he wants a broader approach to fighting terrorism in Pakistan, the official Voice of America radio reported on Wednesday.

The radio, which receives policy guidelines from the US State Department, noted that Mr Gilani’s comments signalled a change in tone from that of President Pervez Musharraf, who cooperated with the United States and took a hard line against militants.

President Bush called Prime Minister Gilani on Tuesday after the latter took the oath of office.

According to VOA, Mr Gilani told Mr Bush that Pakistan would continue to fight terrorism because it was in the country’s best interest to do so. But, he said he planned a more comprehensive approach that would involve a political element as well as development programmes for impoverished regions that often breed terrorism.

The White House said it expected continued cooperation between the United States and Pakistan.“They both agreed that it’s in everyone’s best interest to continue to fight extremists, so we feel comfortable that we’ll be having a continued good relationship with the Pakistanis in this regard,” said White House spokeswoman Dana Perino.