Biden: US, Pakistan Have Enduring Partnership
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Date: 1/12/2011 9:01:09 AM
Sender: VOA
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Biden: US, Pakistan Have Enduring Partnership
U.S. Vice President Joe Biden, left, addresses a news conference with Pakistan＇s Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani at the Prime Minister＇s residence in Islamabad, 12 Jan 2011
U.S. Vice President Joe Biden says the U.S. and Pakistan have forged an "enduring partnership" against "extreme ideologies" - a relationship based on common interests.
Biden made his comments Wednesday in Islamabad following talks with Pakistan＇s President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Yousef Gilani. He also met with Pakistan＇s army chief, General Ashfaq Kayani.
At a news conference with Prime Minister Gilani, Biden said he discussed a range of bilateral and regional issues with Pakistani leaders and reviewed the situation in Afghanistan, where he met with President Hamid Karzai earlier this week.
Biden said that al-Qaida terrorists are a threat to Pakistan as well as the United States and that he has confidence in Pakistan＇s leadership in the fight against terrorism.
The U.S. vice president said he wanted to address "misconceptions" about the U.S. role in Pakistan, saying it is extremists, not the U.S., who violate Pakistani sovereignty.
Biden said the U.S. does not disrespect Islam but rather embraces those who practice its faith, adding that Islam is the fastest growing religion in the United States.
He also said U.S. policies do not favor India at Pakistan＇s expense. He said it is in the interests of the global community to see a strong Pakistan at peace with its neighbors.
Biden also condemned last week＇s killing of the Governor of Punjab Salman Taseer, who was gunned down by one of his bodyguards for his outspoken opposition to Pakistan＇s blasphemy law. The U.S. vice president said societies that embrace such violence are in the end consumed by it.
Members of Pakistan＇s ruling elite have condemned the assassination, while tens of thousands people took to the streets in Karachi on Sunday in support of the killing of the governor.
Pakistan＇s blasphemy law attracted worldwide attention in November when it was used to sentence a Christian woman Aasia Bibi to death for insulting Islam – a charge she denies.
Critics say people can use the law to pursue personal vendettas or punish religious minorities. Supporters say it is every Muslim＇s duty to defend Islam.
During a joint press conference Tuesday with Mr. Karzai, Biden charged the two countries with putting more pressure on Taliban insurgents on both sides of the border to solidify coalition gains.
The United States believes the al-Qaida-linked Haqqani network of the Afghan Taliban uses bases in Pakistan＇s North Waziristan tribal region as a launching pad for deadly attacks on coalition forces in Afghanistan.
Pakistan has long resisted U.S. pressure to launch a new offensive, saying it needs to consolidate military gains in other tribal regions along the Afghan border.
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