ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton warned on Friday that relations between the United States and Pakistan had reached “a turning point,” and called on Pakistan’s leaders to take urgent measures against Islamic extremists in the wake of the killing of Osama Bin Laden.
Mrs. Clinton, the highest-ranking American official to visit Pakistan since Navy Seals found Bin Laden hiding in a garrison town 35 miles from the capital, did not get public pledges of cooperation from the Pakistanis. But she argued that it was in the interest of both countries to jointly pursue terrorists operating from havens in Pakistan.
“We will do our part,” she said in remarks at the American Embassy here, “and we look to the government of Pakistan to take decisive steps in the days ahead.”
Mrs. Clinton was joined by the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Adm. Mike Mullen, who traveled to Pakistan separately. The carefully orchestrated diplomatic encounter was intended both to cajole the Pakistanis and to reassure them of American political support at a time when Congress has threatened to cut economic and security aid. Pakistan has received a total of $20 billion in aid from the United States since 2001.
The Pakistanis promised “some very specific actions” in the near future to demonstrate their commitment to the fight against terrorism, Mrs. Clinton said in her public remarks. She did not elaborate.
A senior official travelling with her later, speaking only on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive diplomacy, said the actions included “specific operations” against individuals; security concerns meant that they could not be disclosed in advance, and may never be made public, the official said.
It remains to be seen whether the meetings on Friday ease the tensions and suspicions that have so haunted relations with Pakistan that American officials dared not notify its leaders in advance of the raid against Bin Laden. Many people in Pakistan see that raid less as a victory in fighting Al Qaeda than as an affront to the country’s sovereignty and pride.
“They had no idea we could or we would do what we did,” another senior administration official traveling on Secretary Clinton’s airplane said. “That has changed their perspective in ways that we’re still evaluating, and they’re still trying to come to grips with.”
Friday’s meetings did not appear to go well at first. In contrast to the usual diplomatic pleasantries, Mrs. Clinton and Admiral Mullen appeared awkward and unsmiling when they met at the presidential palace with President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani and the chief of the Army, Gen. Ashfaq Parvez Kayani.
In brief remarks directed to Mr. Zardari, Mrs. Clinton said the Obama administration recognized “the sacrifice that is made every single day by the men and women of your military and the citizens of your country,” according to a video of that initial encounter. Mr. Zardari’s response was inaudible because his staff had barred microphones from the room and had strictly limited access for journalists travelling with the secretary
The Americans and Pakistanis did not otherwise appear together publicly or make a joint statement after the meetings. which also included the chief of Pakistan’s intelligence service, Lt. Gen. Ahmed Shuja Pasha, who denounced the killing of Bin Laden before the country’s parliament as a “sting operation.”
Mr. Zardari’s office issued a brief written statement after Friday’s meeting, saying the two countries agreed to “work together in any future actions against high-value targets in Pakistan,” The Associated Press reported from Islamabad. That appeared to reflect Pakistan’s demand that the United States stop carrying out unilateral missions like the one that killed Bin Laden.
For their part, Mrs. Clinton and her aides played down the initial awkwardness on Friday, and said that in private both sides aired their concerns frankly but constructively, displaying an eagerness to cooperate against a threat that afflicts both countries.fuente//the new yorck times