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WASHINGTON: Washington said on Thursday it seeks enduring and well-defined relations with Islamabad after Pakistan's parliament backed new guidelines on ties which ban the transport of arms across its soil to Afghanistan.
State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said the United States had “seen that the Pakistani parliament has approved” the 14-point framework for revised terms of engagement with the US and Nato.
“We respect the seriousness with which parliament's review of US-Pakistan relations has been conducted,” she said in a brief statement.
“We seek a relationship with Pakistan that is enduring, strategic, and more clearly defined. We look forward to discussing these policy recommendations with the government of Pakistan and continuing to engage with it on our shared interests.”
The recommendations drawn up by Pakistan's national security committee also include a call for an end to drone attacks in Pakistani territory and an unconditional apology for US air strikes in November that killed 24 Pakistani soldiers.
Western officials were keen for Islamabad to commit to reopening Nato supply lines closed in the wake of the air strikes before a summit in Chicago next month.
Islamabad's closure of the Afghan border to Nato following the air strikes plunged relations with Washington to an all-time low after Pakistan was humiliated by a US raid that killed Osama bin Laden last May.
The guidelines did not address the resumption of Nato convoys but said Pakistani territory must not be used for transporting arms and ammunition to Afghanistan - a demand of several political parties.
