WASHINGTON, 2 October 2003 — US President George W. Bush and Pakistan Prime Minister Zafarullah Khan Jamali met yesterday and touted cooperation in the war on terrorism and a mutual desire to deepen bilateral relations.
During a brief public appearance in the White House Oval Office, neither leader broached thorny issues like Kashmir or Washington’s worries about attacks from Pakistan into neighboring Afghanistan by Taleban-like fighters.
Bush said a luncheon meeting would focus on “a wide range of issues: Our mutual desire to fight terror, our keen desire to bring stability and peace throughout the world” and efforts to broaden commercial ties.
“We want a long, lasting friendship with the United States,” said Jamali.
Earlier, Bush spokesman Scott McClellan said Bush and his guest would discuss cross-border violence in Kashmir and efforts to stabilize Pakistan’s border with Afghanistan. “They will continue to discuss cooperation in the war on terrorism, including cooperation in fighting terror on the Pakistan-Afghanistan border area,” Bush spokesman Scott McClellan told reporters.
The two leaders will also discuss “regional issues, such as Kashmir,” the divided territory over which the two nuclear rivals have fought two of their three wars.
“The president will emphasize the need for dialogue between India and Pakistan,” and he and Jamali will have lunch in the White House residence, said McClellan.
US-Pakistani relations have warmed since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, and Pakistan has become a strong US ally in the war on terrorism.
The meeting came as US Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage was due to visit Pakistan this week to discuss the growing Taleban insurgency in Afghanistan and the effort to crack down on militants crossing from remote areas of Pakistan into Afghanistan.
