Americas

Americas

Obama to meet with Pakistani PM

24 March 2012 01:19 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. U.S. President Barack Obama will meet with Pakistani Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani next Tuesday over the strained relationship between the two countries and the reconciliation process in Afghanistan, the White House said on Friday, APA reports quoting Xinhua.

The meeting comes after the two leaders attend the Nuclear Security Summit slated for March 26-27 in Seoul, capital of South Korea.

"The meeting will be an opportunity for the United States and Pakistan to continue high-level consultations on areas of mutual interest," the White House said in a statement.

"In particular, the president looks forward to reviewing our efforts to support an Afghan-led reconciliation process, and to pursue an end-state in the region that advances security and prosperity," the White House said.

Washington needs Islamabad’s cooperation in finding a solution to the Afghan war and helping a reconciliation process that aims at a nonmilitary solution to the Taliban insurgency. In addition, it needs Pakistan’s military help in fighting against militants using its tribal areas to stage attacks against NATO-led coalition forces in Afghanistan and Afghan forces.

However, bilateral relations have been strained following a series of events, including the killing of al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden in U.S. raids in Pakistan on May 2 last year, and the killing of 24 Pakistani soldiers by NATO fighter jets and helicopters on Nov. 25-26.