WASHINGTON, Jan 12: US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Thursday expressed strong support for the current democratic set-up in Pakistan and said the United States expected Pakistani rulers to resolve their differences in a just and transparent manner that upheld their laws and constitution.

The statement, in a joint briefing with the visiting Algerian foreign minister, indicated that Secretary Clinton had discussed this issue with the new Pakistani Ambassador, Sherry Rehman, as well who met her at the State Department on Wednesday.

`I was delighted to welcome the new ambassador here yesterday. She`s someone that Tve known for some time,` she said when asked to comment on the current political instability and civilian-military confrontation in Pakistan.

`My message to her was very straightforward: The US-Pakistan relationship is crucial to both of our countries, to the future of our people, to the safety and security of South Asia and the world, she said.

Ambassador Rehman, has so far not disclosed details of her meeting with Secretary Clinton, allowing the Americans instead to give their version of the proceedings.

Relations between the two countries deteriorated rapidly after the May 2 US raid on Osama bin Laden`s compound, which killed the Al Qaeda leader. The Americans were upset that one of their worst enemies was discovered in a Pakistani garrison city while the Pakistanis were unhappy that the Americans raided a compound deep inside their country without informing them.

The May 26 Nato raid on a Pakistani military post in Mohmand that killed 24 Pakistani soldiers further strained already tense relations between the twocountries.

Secretary Clinton acknowledged these developments, saying: `We recognise there have been significant challenges in recent months, but we are steadfastly committed to this relationship and working together to make it productive. So we will continue to do so.

Responding to the question about the civil-military conflict, Secretary Clinton said: `We obviously have expressed a lot of concerns about what we see happening inside Pakistan.

The US, she said, stood firmly behind the elected government.

`It has been our position to stand strongly in favour of a democratically elected civilian government, which we continue to do.

`And we expect Pakistan to resolve any of these internal issues in a just and transparent manner that upholds the Pakistani laws and constitution,` she said.