U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton sought to smooth frayed ties with Pakistan during tense meetings in Islamabad Friday, nearly a month after the American raid that killed Osama bin Laden deep inside Pakistani territory.
Mrs. Clinton was joined in Islamabad by Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff. The two were the most senior American officials to visit Pakistan since the May 2 raid, which was launched without Pakistan's knowledge and was widely viewed in the country as a violation of its sovereignty. The dispatching of such a high-level duo to Islamabad signaled the importance placed by Washington on repairing the relationship and getting Islamabad to act more aggressively against Islamist militant groups that the U.S. wants to see taken on, not just extremists who are attacking Pakistan.
Mrs Clinton said that the US had "absolutely no evidence that anyone at the highest level of the Pakistani government" knew where Bin Laden was and said she would return to Washington "ever more committed" to the relationship.
This was an especially important visit because we have reached a turning point. Osama Bin Laden is dead but al-Qaeda and his syndicate of terror remain a serious threat to us both," she said.
There is a momentum toward political reconciliation in Afghanistan but the insurgency continues to operate from safe havens here in Pakistan," she added, saying she believed that Pakistan and the US had the same goals.
It is the first such high-level visit to Pakistan since the killing of al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden on 2 May.
The American special forces raid on Bin Laden's hideout in Abbottabad prompted protests from Islamabad.
Mrs Clinton was accompanied on her visit by the chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Mike Mullen.
The pair held meetings with senior Pakistani politicians and army officers to plead for greater co-operation in the war against the Taliban and al-Qaeda.
Mrs Clinton denied that the meetings, held under tight security, were tense and said she had heard Pakistan commit to "some very specific action" against militants for which the country "deserved more credit.
We want to see the OBL [Osama bin Laden] affair turned into an opportunity for closer cooperation," said a U.S. official briefed on Mrs. Clinton's trip. "It looks like we're headed in the right direction."
Messrs. Grossman and Morrel specifically asked that U.S. personnel be allowed to visit the compound where bin Laden lived, according to American officials -- something that Islamabad has approved. CIA forensics specialists were scheduled to begin work on Friday. And the U.S. has asked for Pakistan to act more aggressively against al Qaeda members believed to be still operating inside Pakistan and to cut off the flow of Taliban forces and arms flowing into Afghanistan.
The U.S. has also raised with Pakistan in recent weeks the case of Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, the Afghan Taliban's No. 2 commander, who was captured in Karachi in early 2010. Washington wants access to Mr. Baradar and is asking Pakistan to transfer the militant into Afghan custody. U.S. officials said they have received encouraging signals from Pakistan on Mr. Baradar's case.
"There are a broad set of things that are important to us and that are doable on the terrorism front," said the U.S. official. "With progress on a few of them, we will see that, post-bin Laden, we are boosting real cooperation."
Mrs. Clinton expected to seek assurances from Gen. Kayani and Gen. Pasha that they would intensify counter-terrorism cooperation with the U.S., said American officials.
Mrs. Clinton's arrival in Islamabad marks her third visit to Pakistan since becoming secretary of State. She has sought to strengthen Pakistan's civilian government and deepen ties to the South Asian country's media and civil society. The U.S. government in 2009 approved a multi-billion aid package to Pakistan aimed at strengthening its economy and democratic institutions.
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