Pakistan parliament stresses talks to end militancy

ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Pakistan's parliament has passed a resolution urging a review of security strategy to fight militancy, saying dialogue must be the highest priority.

The resolution, passed late on Wednesday by a joint sitting of the two-chamber parliament, came after a two-week closed debate on security in which some opposition members called for an end to Pakistan's help for the U.S.-led campaign.

The resolution was not expected to have any immediate impact on offensives in the northwest in which the army says more than 1,000 militants have been killed.

"We need an urgent review of our national security strategy and revisiting the methodology of combating terrorism in order to restore peace and stability," the resolution said.

Nuclear-armed Pakistan, a major partner in the U.S.-led campaign against militancy, is grappling with a surge of militant violence and an economic crisis that has raised fears for its stability.

The government, led by the party of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto, has vowed support for the U.S. campaign and adopted what it calls a three-pronged strategy to fight militancy.

It says talks should be held with militants who lay down their arms, northwestern regions on the Afghan border where militants flourish should be developed, and force used only as a last resort.

The parliamentarians highlighted the importance of negotiations.

"Dialogue must now be the highest priority as a principal instrument of conflict management and resolution," they said. "Dialogue will be encouraged with all those elements willing to abide by the constitution of Pakistan and rule of law."

EXPEL FOREIGN FIGHTERS

The resolution said Pakistan could not be used as a base for attacks on other countries.

"Pakistan's territory shall not be used for any kind of attacks on other countries and all foreign fighters, if found, shall be expelled from our soil," the resolution said.

Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani told parliament he welcomed the resolution.

"The recommendations which came out after the debate give a fresh mandate to the government to reorganize its war against extremism," the state APP news agency quoted him as saying.

The United States has been pressing Pakistan to eliminate militant sanctuaries in the northwest from where Taliban insurgents infiltrate into Afghanistan to fight Western forces.

The United States has been critical of past negotiations and peace pacts with militant in Pakistan, saying they merely gave the militants the opportunity to reorganize and consolidate.

Frustrated U.S. forces in Afghanistan have been stepping up attacks on militants in Pakistan, launching about a dozen missile strikes by pilotless aircraft and a commando raid on a border village since early September.

A suspected U.S. drone fired a missile into a Pakistani village on the Afghan border early on Thursday, killing four people, residents said.

A large number of militants have died in such attacks but no senior al Qaeda or Taliban commander has been reported to have been killed.

(Writing by Robert Birsel; Editing by Bill Tarrant)