NATO, Pakistan eye broader political ties

BRUSSELS - NATO and Pakistan should look to strengthen their broader political ties through measures such as high-level visits and contacts between parliamentarians, the alliance’s secretary general and Pakistan’s premier agreed Friday.

NATO and Pakistan are both locked in battle against Taliban-linked militants along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border, but their cooperation, sometimes uneasy, has so far been largely limited to contacts between the military.

“We have to not … confine (our efforts) to only terrorism and extremism, we have to look beyond that,” Pakistan’s Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani said after talks with NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen at the alliance’s Brussels headquarters.

That should include increased cooperation between members of parliament and high-level visits, Gilani said.

Rasmussen also called for the two sides to “expand the political dialogue”, saying that NATO “stands ready” to boost cooperation on military and civilian matters.

However, the Dane stressed that it would be up to Pakistan to define the areas in which NATO could provide the support.

“It’s … very much up to Pakistan to express her wishes as to how we can further assist you,” he said.

Both men also stressed that their forces were ready to carry on the bloody campaign against insurgents.

“NATO will stay in Afghanistan as long as it takes to finish our job. There should be no misunderstanding about that,” Rasmussen said.

“Pakistan is determined to win against the evil forces of extremism and terrorism. Defeat in this war is not an option for us,” Gilani said.