White House confirms Obama-Gilani Meeting

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US President Barack Obama will hold talks with Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani on Tuesday in the South Korean capital Seoul, a statement released by the White House confirmed.
The meeting will be the most senior-level face-to-face talks between both countries since American forces killed Osama bin Laden in Pakistan last May, plunging relations between the two countries to an all-time low.
“The meeting will be an opportunity for the United States and Pakistan to continue high-level consultations on areas of mutual interest,” said the statement released by the White House on Friday.
“In particular, the president looks forward to reviewing our efforts to support an Afghan-led reconciliation process, and to pursue an end-state in the region that advances security and prosperity.”
The meeting between Obama and Gilani will follow a nuclear security summit being held in Seoul.
Pakistani-US relations plummeted after the killing of bin Laden in a military operation that was carried out without Islamabad’s knowledge and which was seen as a humiliation for the nation’s rulers.
Ties between Islamabad and Washington suffered further turbulence when US air strikes mistakenly killed 24 Pakistani soldiers in November.