President Asif Ali Zardari during meeting with the delegation of US Senators who called on him at the Presidency in Islamabad on Saturday. – Photo by APP

ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari on Saturday reiterated the government’s call for a sustainable and multifaceted relationship with the United States based on principles of sovereign equality and trust.

Talking to a delegation of US lawmakers comprising Senators Robert P. Casey, Sheldon Whitehouse, Michael Bennet and Richard Blumenthal, the president said the two countries should not let isolated incidents affect their ties.

According to president’s spokesman Farhatullah Babar, Mr Zardari told the visiting dignitaries that the two countries could avoid operational irritants by clearly defining and following terms of engagement. Mutually agreed terms of engagement were needed in view of the two countries’ divergent positions on various issues.

Recent developments at the regional and international levels had made it necessary for Pakistan and the US to work jointly for stability in the region and to achieve the agreed goals, Mr Zardari said.

He said Pakistan was committed to the fight against militants and was determined to take it to its logical conclusion, regardless of the sacrifices needed to attain this goal.

Mr Zardari, however, stressed the need for the international community to support the people of Pakistan and to strengthen the country’s civilian law-enforcement agencies.  The American legislators praised the role played by Pakistan in the war on terrorism.—APP