Bush to visit India, Pakistan in March
(AFP)
Updated: 2006-01-25 08:43

US President George W. Bush said he will travel to India and Pakistan in March, as visiting Pakistan Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz urged "closer communication and coordination" against terrorism.

That was as close as Aziz came in public remarks at the White House to rebuking Washington over a suspected US air strike in remote Pakistan targetting Al-Qaeda members that killed as many as 18 civilians, angering many Pakistanis.

Asked after his meeting with Bush whether they discussed the attack, for which Washington refuses to take responsibility, Aziz told reporters: "We discussed every issue which related to relations between the two countries."

"We discussed the war on terror and the need for closer communication and coordination to take this effort forward," the prime minister said after a nearly two-hour long meeting with Bush.

During a brief joint public appearance in the Oval Office, the president praised Pakistan as a strong ally in the global war on terrorism and announced that he would visit Pakistan and India in March.

US President Bush (R) looks on as Pakistan's Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz speaks following their meeting in the Oval Office, January 24, 2006.[Reuters]

"I'm really looking forward to going to your country," said Bush, who had been expected to visit the region early this year. "I want to thank you for your invitation and your hospitality in advance."

Bush and Aziz papered over tensions resulting from the airstrike, and emphasized cooperation on issues like the global war on terrorism, fighting the spread of nuclear weapons technology, and trade.

They also highlighted US efforts to help Pakistan recover from the devastating October 2005 earthquake, the worst in the country's history, which killed nearly 74,000 people and left more than three million homeless.

"I was very pleased that the United States, our taxpayers, our military, could contribute to helping the people of Pakistan recover. They are our friends," said Bush.

"A sense of caring and sharing always builds a better relationship between countries. And that's what we are seeing between Pakistan and the United States," said the prime minister.

"We also strive for peace in our area. It's an area which has a lot of challenges, and we are pursuing peace with all our neighbors. We want a solution of all disputes, including the Kashmir dispute," said Aziz.

Nuclear rivals India and Pakistan each hold the Himalayan region of Kashmir in part but claim it in full. The dispute has kept ties between the neighbors tense for almost six decades and triggered two of their three wars since 1947.

The prime minister also said Pakistan wanted "a strong, stable Afghanistan" and that Islamabad was "against proliferation of nuclear weapons by anybody. And we want to fight terrorism in all its forms and manifestations."

"I think the relationship with Pakistan is a vital relationship for the United States," said Bush. "We're working closely to defeat the terrorists who would like to harm America and harm Pakistan."

The meeting came after Al-Qaeda mastermind Osama bin Laden threatened fresh attacks on the United States in a new audiotape, and following the suspected US Central Intelligence Agency airstrike on January 13.

The strike on the remote village of Damadola, in a tribal area bordering Afghanistan, was reportedly aimed at killing Al-Qaeda's number two, Ayman al-Zawahiri, during a gathering of senior Al-Qaeda operatives there.

Bush spokesman Scott McClellan suggested that the United States reserved the right to future military strikes, telling reporters: "This president has made it clear we're going to pursue terrorists wherever they are."

But Bush and Aziz "talked about how we're working together in the war on terrorism and how it's important to continue working together. They talked about continuing to work to improve cooperation and coordination," he said.