US-Pak don't agree on everything, but had a productive meet: White House

Washington: US President Barack Obama had a very productive meeting with Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, a presidential spokesperson said here today. “It was a productive meeting here at the White House, and our relationship with Pakistan continues on a positive trajectory,” White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said. Responding to a question on Sharif’s demand to end drone strikes, Carney said that the US want to find ways for the two country to co-operate. [caption id=“attachment_1192815” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Nawaz Sharif and Barack Obama share a laugh during their meeting on Wednesday. AP[/caption] “As I’ve said in the past, obviously we don’t agree on everything with Pakistan, but it is important, even where we have differences on some issues, that we work together to cooperate where we can,” he said. The meeting provided an opportunity for the leaders to discuss concrete cooperation on issues of mutual concerns, such as energy, trade and economic development, regional stability and countering violent extremism, Carney said. “We have a strong, ongoing dialogue with Pakistan regarding all aspects of our bilateral relationship and shared interests, including security and counterterrorism cooperation, and we work together to address concerns that Pakistan has in these areas,” Carney said. “We want to advance our shared interests in a stable, secure and prosperous Pakistan that is contributing to regional and international security and prosperity,” he said. “All the issues are on the table when these leaders meet, and the meeting yesterday was very productive, as was the series of meetings that were held during the course of the prime minister’s visit,” Carney said. Carney refused to answer questions on the Washington Post’s report alleging that US and Pakistan have a secret agreement on drones and Washington shares information with Islamabad on the drone attacks. “I can’t speak to is specific operational issues. What I can tell you is that on matters of bilateral cooperation on counterterrorism we have regular conversations with Pakistan, and that is obviously a piece of the kind of conversations that we had during the prime minister’s visit,” he said. “It is critically important that we work closely with our partners, including Pakistan, providing them with the support they need and helping build their capacity to carry out counterterrorism operations in their own countries,” Carney added. “We have a common enemy and a common cause, and we have long said that there needs to be a coordinated and concerted effort to combat violent extremists of all kinds, whoever they threaten. So we had a broader agenda with the prime minister, and that broader agenda was discussed,” Carney said. “It is important to remember that our relationship with Pakistan goes beyond these issues and that there were economic and other matters very much a part of the discussion,” the spokesperson said. PTI