Describing
the U.S.-Pakistan relationship as vital, Admiral Mike Mullen, Chairman
Joint Chiefs Staff, Monday said he came away from last week’s meeting
with Pakistani leaders convinced of their commitment to work with the
United States on security, intelligence and development.Appearing on TV
morning shows on the U.S. Memorial Day, Mullen also drew American
people’s attention to the difficult fight Pakistan is into and the
sacrifices that the key South Asian country is making in the
anti-terror struggle.“It was a very frank meeting; it’s a very
difficult time and yet a very important relationship,” he said of the
May 27 meeting that Mullen and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton had
with the Pakistani political and military leadership in Islamabad.
Mullen said Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and he went to
Pakistan to “reaffirm the commitment on the part of the United States to
work with Pakistan” and to send a message about the importance of the
U.S.-Pakistan relationship.
“We were frank with them, and they were frank with us,” he remarked.
The Admiral, who has made about two dozen trips to Pakistan, said he has been working to overcome the ‘trust gap’ between the United States and Pakistan.
The U.S. military raid in Abbottabad, that killed al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden, dealt a blow to those efforts.
“We had a big trust deficit, so we’re working our way back through that.
Certainly the recent raid put a significant dent in that progress, but both sides are continuing to commit to work our way through it because we both think it’s a vital relationship,” he told CNN’s American Morning.
Mullen also said he heard from the Pakistani military leadership their continued commitment to look ahead and work with the United States in dealing with terrorist threat.
“We think that’s important. We have shared interests in terms of the terrorist threat that is there, in terms of dealing with a very difficult (Pakistan-Afghanistan) border and looking for a way ahead that will create a more peaceful and stable country.”
The American people, he advocated, need to understand the tough fight Pakistan is having and the sacrifices they have rendered.
The Pakistani military has had thousands killed and wounded in the battle against terrorists. In addition, terrorists have killed thousands of Pakistani civilians.
On the elimination of al-Qaeda chief, both sides agree bin Laden’s exit was a positive step, Mullen noted.
Overall, al-Qaeda is not the organization it was 10 years ago when it struck the United States on 9/11, he said.
“They’ve been significantly reduced in terms of their overall ability, but they still plan and want to kill as many Americans and Westerners that they possibly can,” he said.
“We need to make sure they cannot do that.” Mullen was quick to point out that the United States has seen no evidence that Pakistan’s senior government leaders had any knowledge of bin Laden’s presence in Abbotabad.
American and Pakistani leaders do, however, believe the al-Qaida terrorist had a support network in the country.
“I think one of the most important parts of the meeting was the fact that Secretary Clinton and I both said we’ve seen no evidence of the senior leadership had any knowledge of Bin Laden’s presence there.”
Pakistan is important to U.S. and NATO efforts in Afghanistan, and the chairman said there is reason for hope in Afghanistan, despite a difficult fighting season ahead this summer.
“We will continue to sustain losses as we’ve done in the last few days,” he said.
“Every one of those is a tragic, tragic loss. That said, I am confident that by the end of the year we will be in a much better position and be able to see much more clearly the longer term potential for a positive outcome.” APP
