A delegation of US Senators comprised of Senator Robert P Casey, Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, Senator Michael Bennet and Senator Richard Blumenthal called on President Asif Ali Zardari here at the presidency on Saturday.
Spokesperson to the president, Farhatullah Babar said that matters relating to Pak-US bilateral relations and mutual cooperation, war against terror and the regional situation were discussed in a very candid, frank and constructive manner during the meeting.
The president reiterated Pakistan’s call for a long term, sustainable and multifaceted relationship based on principles of sovereign equality, respect and trust. He said that continuity and smooth pace of bilateral equation was essential for taking maximum advantage of the toils of friendship.
The president said that recent developments at regional and international level make it necessary for the two countries to work hand in hand for stability of the region, on one hand, and to realise mutually agreed goals, on the other.
The president said that the two countries should not let some isolated incidents to affect their equation and to undo the efforts of building a multifaceted and long-term relationship.
He said that clearly defining and following the mutually agreed terms of engagement was necessary to avoid operational irritants that hamper the relationship. This, he said, was also essential in view of divergent positions and interests on different issues.
The president said further that it was Pakistan’s strong desire for having peace in the region and having amicable relations with its neighbours so that an environment could be created where all the countries could properly focus on addressing their real issues and not just pursue security-driven agendas.
