US wants to rebuild ties with Pakistan: Kerry
579 viewsBy jazbablog - Mon May 16, 6:42 pm
ISLAMABAD: US Senator John Kerry Monday said that US wanted to rebuild its ties with Pakistan.
“USA and Pakistan are strategic partners with a common enemy and I am here to re-build the relationship between our two countries,” Kerry, the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, told media in here in Islamabad.
He said presence of Bin Laden presence raised many questions and he conveyed the US concerns about this to army chief and ISI chief during the meeting.
Senator Kerry reiterated that US would not apologize for Abbottabad operation adding that his country realized the concerns raising here over sovereignty of Pakistan.
Kerry said Osama violated the sovereignty of Pakistan and the master mind of 9/11 was also responsible for killing of 35 thousand Pakistanis.
He said Abbottabad operation was kept highly secret for the protection of their soldiers.
He reiterated that US wanted long term relations with Pakistan and his meeting here with the President, Prime minister and military leadership was to find out every way to re-track and to normalize the relationship between these two countries.
Kerry said he had held “constructive conversations” with Pakistan’s leaders but reiterated “grave concerns” over the presence in Pakistan of the Al-Qaeda terror chief and sanctuaries of US adversaries in Afghanistan.
“More importantly I explained that I am here with the backing of President (Barack) Obama, (US) ambassador (to Pakistan Cameron) Munter and their team to find a way to rebuild the trust between our two countries,” he said.
“We must never lose sight of this essential fact. We are strategic partners with a common enemy in terrorism and extremism.
“Both of our countries have sacrificed… so much that it just wouldn’t make sense to see this relationship broken or abandoned,” he added
Senator Kerry acknowledged that Pakistan had given lot of sacrifices in the fight against terror and his country would continue to assist Pakistan in this battle, adding that ongoing projects would be continued in Pakistan through Kerry-Luger bill.
Senator Kerry told the Secretary of State Hillary Clinton would soon visit to Pakistan to rebuild trust between Washington and Islamabad.
Now this is what I am talking about. We surely need to build ties with US. We have been fighting this war for the past 11 years with United States of America, now it is too late to pull out. We cannot shut the Americans out.