Nato chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen urged Pakistan on Monday to keep open supply lines to Nato forces in Afghanistan despite anger over a US drone strike that killed the Pakistani Taliban leader. "I feel confident that the Pakistani authorities will maintain open supply routes and transit routes because it is in Pakistan's own interest to contribute positively to stability and security in the region," Rasmussen told a news conference.
Rasmussen declined to comment on the drone strike that killed Mehsud but appeared to lend support to US actions, saying "terrorism constitutes a threat to the whole region". He said he believed the Pakistani authorities, including the government and the military, realised it was in Islamabad's interest to ensure peace and stability in Afghanistan. "The security of Afghanistan and Pakistan is inter-linked. There can't be security in the one country without security in the other," he said.