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Hillary Clinton pledges US 'commitment' to Pakistan Clinton exonerates Pakistan over Osama Bin Laden
(about 1 hour later)
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has expressed Washington's "strong commitment" to relations with Pakistan. US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has said there is no evidence senior people in Pakistan knew that Osama Bin Laden lived so close to Islamabad.
But she said that the US and Pakistan needed to do more to battle Islamist militancy and that bilateral relations had reached a turning point.
Mrs Clinton said any peace deal in Afghanistan would not succeed unless Pakistan was part of the process.
She expressed Washington's "strong commitment" to relations with Pakistan.
She was speaking as she arrived in Islamabad on a previously unannounced visit aimed at soothing tensions between the two countries.She was speaking as she arrived in Islamabad on a previously unannounced visit aimed at soothing tensions between the two countries.
Momentum
Mrs Clinton said that the US had "absolutely no evidence that anyone at the highest level of the Pakistani government" knew where Bin Laden was and said she would return to Washington "ever more committed" to the relationship.
"This was an especially important visit because we have reached a turning point. Osama Bin Laden is dead but al-Qaeda and his syndicate of terror remain a serious threat to us both," she said.
Hillary Clinton's press conference was an interesting combination of frustration, resolve and ruffled-feather smoothing.
Both she and Adm Mullen thanked their hosts for the warm reception they got, and Mrs Clinton several times spoke of the sacrifices Pakistan had made in the fight against Islamic extremism, something Pakistanis feel the US does not acknowledge enough.
But Mrs Clinton also expressed frustration about anti-Americanism and conspiracy theories that mar the relationship, and lamented the fact Pakistanis didn't know the US was their country's biggest donor.
She said the Pakistanis had promised to take decisive steps in the coming days.
Mrs Clinton and Adm Mullen went to the meetings together to give out one, forceful message.
Having all of Pakistan's civilian and military leadership in one room was unusual, perhaps an effort to get them talking to each other more.
"There is a momentum toward political reconciliation in Afghanistan but the insurgency continues to operate from safe havens here in Pakistan," she added, saying she believed that Pakistan and the US had the same goals.
It is the first such high-level visit to Pakistan since the killing of al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden on 2 May.It is the first such high-level visit to Pakistan since the killing of al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden on 2 May.
The American special forces raid on Bin Laden's hideout in Abbottabad prompted protests from Islamabad.The American special forces raid on Bin Laden's hideout in Abbottabad prompted protests from Islamabad.
Mrs Clinton's visit comes a day after the US announced it was withdrawing some of its troops from Pakistan, at Islamabad's request. Mrs Clinton was accompanied on her visit by the chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Mike Mullen.
The pair held meetings with senior Pakistani politicians and army officers to plead for greater co-operation in the war against the Taliban and al-Qaeda.
Mrs Clinton denied that the meetings, held under tight security, were tense and said she had heard Pakistan commit to "some very specific action" against militants for which the country "deserved more credit".
Her visit comes a day after the US announced it was withdrawing some of its troops from Pakistan, at Islamabad's request.
In what correspondents say was perhaps an attempt to smooth ruffled Pakistani feathers over the killing, Mrs Clinton acknowledged the ''sacrifices made every single day by the men and women Pakistan's military and its citizens".In what correspondents say was perhaps an attempt to smooth ruffled Pakistani feathers over the killing, Mrs Clinton acknowledged the ''sacrifices made every single day by the men and women Pakistan's military and its citizens".
US officials say that Mr Clinton's visit had been planned for about two weeks, but Washington was waiting for the right time "for this critical conversation". The ground was prepared by Senator John Kerry and the Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, Marc Grossman. The decision to visit was taken on Wednesday but kept under wraps for security reasons.
We landed amidst very tight security, with choppers flying overhead. The roads were cleared of all traffic and Pakistani paramilitary officers lined the streets. The convoy of armoured cars drove at breakneck speed. The BBC's Kim Ghattas - who is travelling with Mrs Clinton - says that she arrived in Pakistan under intense security, her 20-car armoured motorcade racing through the city to the presidential palace with helicopters flying overhead.
This is Mrs Clinton's third visit to Pakistan and seems the most tense of all on a security level. But the meetings will also be tense. She'll be asking the Pakistanis for the same things she did the first two times, but with more urgency.
The US wants further co-operation on counter-terrorism and on reconciliation in Afghanistan. But Mrs Clinton has also been pressing the Pakistanis to do more and better on tax collection from Pakistan's elite to fill the coffers of the state.
The US currently gives Pakistan $3bn in aid every year and there have been growing calls in US congress to cut this amount.
The ground was prepared by Senator John Kerry and the Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan Marc Grossman. The decision to visit was taken on Wednesday but kept under wraps for security reasons.
The BBC's Kim Ghattas - who is travelling with Mrs Clinton - says that she arrived in Pakistan under intense security, her 20-car armoured motorcade racing through the city to the presidential palace and helicopters flying overhead.
Officials say that she has come to Pakistan to gauge Islamabad's commitment to fighting Islamic extremism.
They say that it would not have been taken place if there was not a sense that "we could build on some of the signs that we have been receiving".
Stone-facedStone-faced
Relations between US and Pakistan are always complex and fragile but they are particularly volatile at the moment.Relations between US and Pakistan are always complex and fragile but they are particularly volatile at the moment.
Our correspondent says that Mrs Clinton has met all of Pakistan's top officials several times before and is usually adept at smiley conversation for the cameras.Our correspondent says that Mrs Clinton has met all of Pakistan's top officials several times before and is usually adept at smiley conversation for the cameras.
But this time she sat fairly stone-faced at the start of her meeting with Pakistan's president, prime minister, foreign secretary and army chief.But this time she sat fairly stone-faced at the start of her meeting with Pakistan's president, prime minister, foreign secretary and army chief.
The secretary of state is accompanied by chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen.
They are expected to demand more co-operation from Pakistan in the fight against al-Qaeda and Taliban militants.
Some in Washington believe that Pakistani intelligence works closely with violent extremist groups. Suspicion is rife that some in Pakistan knew of Osama Bin Laden's hiding place all along.Some in Washington believe that Pakistani intelligence works closely with violent extremist groups. Suspicion is rife that some in Pakistan knew of Osama Bin Laden's hiding place all along.
Meanwhile, US media reports say that Pakistan will allow the CIA to examine Bin Laden's compound in Abbottabad.Meanwhile, US media reports say that Pakistan will allow the CIA to examine Bin Laden's compound in Abbottabad.
A forensics team is expected to arrive within days along with sophisticated equipment to find material that may be embedded behind walls, inside safes or buried underground.