Nato chief stresses to maintain ties with Pakistan

[Emmie]

BRUSSELS: The west must continue to co-operate closely with Pakistan, Nato's secretary-general Anders Fogh Rasmussen said.

"I don't think there are many alternatives" to working with the Pakistani military and government leadership to convince them to clamp down on the Haqqani operation.

"Whatever might be the links between the Haqqani network and authorities in Pakistan, the bottom line remains the same," Rasmussen said in an interview with the British newspaper.

"Pakistan must deal with it and make sure terrorists don't have safe havens in Pakistan, and we need a close partnership and a positive partnership with Pakistan."

Adm Mullen's comments were the most visible sign of a more aggressive policy towards Islamabad by the Obama administration, which earlier tried to embrace the Pakistani leadership - a policy strongly advocated at the time by Adm Mullen.

Rasmussen denied that the new hardline stance taken by the Obama administration risked up-ending his push to continue close co-operation with Islamabad.

He said he still considered Pakistan "a partner" in Nato's Afghan campaign and believed Pakistan's leadership could be incentivised to take a more aggressive stance towards the Haqqanis and affiliated extremist groups.

"I don't believe we have other ways to deal with this than continue to work with the Pakistanis and really make sure they understand we have a common interest," he said.

Nato chief stresses to maintain ties with Pakistan