US, Pak exploring terms of engagement to revive ties

Washington, Mar 15(ANI): The United States and Pakistan are exploring new terms of engagement for reviving their ties, which have deteriorated rapidly since January 2011.

"We will continue to engage where we even have legitimate concerns and disagreements," the Dawn quoted US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, as saying in her address to the Global Chiefs of Mission Conference in Washington.

"I appreciate Secretary Clinton's words of engaging despite differences. We hope to seek parliament's views on the terms of re-engagement very soon," Pakistan's Ambassador to the United States Sherry Rehman said.

While Clinton focused on the need for augmenting Pak-US ties, Rehman tried to downplay media reports that both sides had reached an agreement on drone strikes or on re-opening NATO supply routes that had been shut after the deadly November 26 airstrike in Mohmand Agency.

"There is no question of anyone cutting a deal on anything behind Parliament's back, whether it is drones or the GLOC," Rehman said.

Rehman insisted that the review had to be completed before Pakistan and the US start sorting out the issues that divide them.

"All Pakistani principals are in lock-step on that. This is the new Pakistan and we work like all democracies, with full consultation and openness," she said.

She said that Pakistan had stressed the need for discontinuing drone strikes in a series of meeting with the US because a large number of civilians were also killed in those attacks.

But the United States has indicated that it is not willing to discontinue drone strikes because it believes they have been very effective in targeting key Al Qaeda leaders. (ANI)