WASHINGTON / New York, Sept 22: The White House said on Monday that President George W. Bush’s meeting with his Pakistani counterpart was very important.
“Obviously, this meeting with President Asif Ali Zardari is very important. It’s his first meeting with the new president. We have extensive coordination and cooperation that is ongoing with Pakistan, and for good reason,” White House Press Secretary Dana Perino told a briefing in Washington.
“And the terrorists showed again this weekend why we need to make sure that we are helping train up their forces, that we are sharing information, and that we can work together to try to protect innocent people.”
Ms Perino said the terrorists were trying to kill innocent people to advance their political objectives. The United States, she said, will remain committed to working with Pakistan, while President Asif Ali Zardari too wants to work with the US.
“So I think we’ll have a good meeting,” she added.
When reminded that President Zardari said in an interview to an American TV channel earlier on Monday that if US troops cross Pakistan’s borders, they’re going to be escorted out, Ms Perino offered no comments.
She, however, said that an earlier report that Pakistani troops had fired at US helicopters on Monday were incorrect.
“I question that report, and I would refer you to the Department of Defence for the veracity of that report, because that has been debunked by the department,” she said. “I would caution you to be sceptical of some of these claims.”
She recalled that when President Zardari was elected, he said he understood the serious situation Pakistan was in. He also acknowledged that innocent people in America, in the West, and in Pakistan itself were at risk because of the terrorists.
“They know that they need to do more and do a better job, and that we’re going to be there to support them,” said the White House official.
“But we also recognise their sovereignty. And that is why the coordination and cooperation” between the two countries.
Ms Perino said the cooperation extended beyond the border region and between the two militaries.
It’s also between “our services like our intelligence services, our military, and also our law enforcement services — (who) are working closely with them to try to prevent attacks (and) also to investigate attacks after they occur.”Mr Zardari meets President Bush on Tuesday. The 30-minute meeting is expected to focus on terrorism.
Mr Zardari holds his first meeting on Monday with a deputy secretary of the US Treasury and will later attend a reception President Bush is holding for the heads of governments and states attending the UN General Assembly.
On Tuesday, Mr Zardari also meets French President Nicolas Sarkozy. He meets Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Afghan President Hamid Karzai on Wednesday.
At the State Department, however, the war on terror and Saturday’s blast dominated the briefing.
Hot pursuit ruled out
President Zardari declared on Monday that Pakistan would stand shoulder to shoulder with the world and “fight the terrorists”.
At the same time, he reiterated that Pakistan would not allow “hot pursuit” inside Pakistan by the US forces. “I want the world to understand that this is a signal from the terrorists. They are challenging this democracy of Pakistan. They are challenging the people of Pakistan,” Mr Zardari said in an interview with NBC news “Today” morning show.
This was President Zardari’s first interview with an American TV network since the Sept 20 bombing of Marriott Hotel in Islamabad.
“We will catch the terrorists, give us the information we will do the job,” he said when asked whether Pakistan would allow American forces to enter Pakistan in hot pursuit of suspected terrorists.
“They are challenging the world. And we are there to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the world, looking the terrorists in the eye. And we will fight them.
“We will not allow anyone inside our own border, it’s violation of the UN Charter” he said when the interviewer pointed out that American soldiers who were in hot pursuit of terrorists were crossing into Pakistan.
President Zardari arrived in New York in the afternoon heading a delegation to the 63 session of the United Nations General Assembly.
Mr Zardari is also expected to hold meetings with many world leaders on the sidelines of the UN session, including Prime Minister Wen Jiabao of China, President Mahmoud Ahmedinejad of Iran, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh of India, President of France Nicolas Sarkozy, President of Turkey Abdullah Gul, President of Brazil Luiz Ino Lula da Silva and President of Afghanistan Hamid Karzai.
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