Obama presses Zardari on Afghanistan
By DPA, IANSFriday, January 14, 2011
WASHINGTON - US President Barack Obama met with Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari Friday, emphasizing the importance of cooperating to promote stability in Afghanistan, the White House said.
The US has continuously linked a successful outcome to the conflict in Afghanistan with eliminating the ability of the Taliban and Al Qaeda to operate in remote regions across the border in Pakistan.
“The discussion focused on our shared efforts to fight terrorism and promote regional stability, specifically on the importance of cooperating toward a peaceful and stable outcome in Afghanistan,” the White House said.
The meeting came as Vice President Joe Biden returned this week from a trip that included stops in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Biden said that the Pakistani government must do more to deny the Taliban and Al Qaeda safe havens.
Obama told Zardari that he looks forward to visiting Pakistan some time this year, the White House said, although no date has been set.
Zardari was in Washington to attend memorial services later Friday for Richard Holbrooke, the veteran US diplomat and special Afghan-Pakistan envoy who passed away suddenly in December.
