Thaindian News

Washington, Dec 13 (IANS) US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta Monday hoped that the US will be able to mend its strained ties with Pakistan, because a stable relationship with Islamabad is key to win the US war in Afghanistan.

Panetta said that restoring the strained relationship with Pakistan is critical to the long-term progress in Afghanistan, reported Xinhua.

“I think it is going to be important, as we are able to move and progress in our efforts in Afghanistan, that we continue to do outreach in Pakistan,” he told the US forces press service.

“It is essential to stability in that region that we not only achieve a peaceful resolution with regards to Afghanistan, but that we are able to develop a more stable relationship with Pakistan as well,” he said.

“If that region is ever going to find peace, it is going to happen not only by achieving stability in Afghanistan, but also by achieving some degree of stability in Pakistan as well.”

The US defense chief conceded that the US relationship with Pakistan has been “difficult and complicated”, while emphasizing that “it is an important relationship, and it is one we have to continue to work at”.

The US-Pakistan relationship was strained after the May 2 raid inside Pakistan to kill Al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden, and further worsened after the NATO air attack on two Pakistan Army posts near its border with Afghanistan Nov 26 that killed 24 Pakistani soldiers.

Pakistan immediately retaliated by blocking the ground supply routes to NATO forces in Afghanistan and ordering the US to vacate a military base in Pakistan.

“Obviously what took place has complicated that relationship,” Panetta said. “But I think the effort now is to try to see if we can restore that kind of communication with regards to those border incidents.”

He said he was confident that Pakistan will finally agree to reopen the ground supply routes into Afghanistan, adding that, ultimately, restoring a solid relationship goes well beyond supply routes and border operations.

“The most important thing is to keep lines of communication open and make sure we do everything we can to restore some degree of a relationship that will allow us to be able to fulfill our mission,” he said.

Panetta emphasized that the mission of fighting terrorism supports both the US’ and Pakistan’s interests.

“The terrorism that threatens us also threatens them,” he said. “And if we can recognize that, despite our differences, there are some common areas that we share in terms of our security, then I think we can ultimately find a way to resolve our differences and improve our relationship.”