The White House is calling ``completely appropriate'' Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton's suggestion that Pakistani officials might know where top terrorists are hiding. White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said Friday that Clinton's public comments echoed what US officials privately tell the Pakistanis. ``I think those remarks were completely appropriate,'' Gibbs said.
Travelling in Pakistan, Clinton suggested Thursday that some Pakistani officials might know where al Qaida's upper echelon his hidden in their country. "I find it hard to believe that nobody in your government knows where they are and couldn't get them if they really wanted to,'' she said. She scaled back the remarks slightly on Friday, saying she does not think the government is purposely harbouring terrorists.