Pakistan conveys reservations to US over drone attacks

Pakistan on Friday conveyed its reservations over drone attacks in Federally Administrated Tribal Areas (FATA) to the visiting US Acting Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan on his maiden visit to the region, saying the strikes are counterproductive.
Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi raised the issue of drone attacks in meeting with Frank Ruggiero. They discussed a whole range of issues of mutual interest and concern. Mr Ruggiero said that he was visiting Pakistan on the instructions of Secretary State Hillary Clinton to convey to the people of Pakistan that the US would continue with its policy of strengthening its ties with Pakistan in all areas of mutual benefit.
Earlier, the Acting Special Representative met with Foreign Secretary Salman Bashir. The Foreign Secretary stressed the need for working together more closely with full understanding of each other's concerns. As Co-Chairs of the Policy Steering Group of the Pak-US Strategic Dialogue, they discussed mechanism to make the dialogue more result-oriented. It was agreed that the Group should convene in Washington before the next round of the Strategic Dialogue, expected to be held in Islamabad during the first half of this year.
At the outset, Foreign Minister Qureshi paid rich tributes to the late Richard Holbrooke for his contributions towards transforming Pakistan - US relations into a long-term partnership. He said the late Special Representative would be long remembered for his friendship with Pakistan.
Discussing the US Strategic Review on Afghanistan, the Foreign Minister said it was encouraging that the US had acknowledged successes achieved by Pakistan in containing militancy and terrorism. He underlined that a stable and peaceful Afghanistan was in Pakistan's strategic interest. Accordingly, Pakistan, as the immediate neighbour of Afghanistan, would not shirk from taking any step to promote and facilitate reconciliation and reintegration in the country as part of the Afghanistan-driven process. It was necessary that Pakistan and US were on the same page. He added that the US Review's emphasis on development and reconciliation was noteworthy. On Trilateral (Afghanistan-Pakistan-US) Ministerial Meeting to be held in Washington in February this year, the two sides underlined the need for full preparations with a view to achieving maximum tangible results.