Bush to meet new Pakistani PM Gilani amid tensions

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President George W. Bush will meet new Pakistani Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani on July 28 in Washington, the White House said on Thursday, amid tensions about battling Taliban and al Qaeda militants in Pakistan's border region with Afghanistan.

"The president welcomes the opportunity to talk to him on ways to further advance bilateral cooperation with Pakistan on a broad range of issues, including counterterrorism, economic development and regional cooperation," White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said.

Pakistan has been a key ally as U.S. forces try to hunt down al Qaeda and Taliban militants believed to be rebuilding their operations and bases from which they could plot attacks against the United States and Afghanistan.

Bush and Gilani met in May in Egypt where they pledged to continue to fight terrorism, though Pakistan has been widely criticized for not doing enough in the rugged border area.

The New York Times reported earlier this week that top Bush administration officials drafted a secret plan last year to make it easier for U.S. Special Operations forces to operate inside Pakistan's tribal areas but internal turf battles and the Iraq war have held up that effort.

The White House said in response that there has been good military-to-military cooperation with Pakistan.

Bush has had a close relationship with Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf and has also been looking to form a strong bond with the new prime minister, who was elected in February.

(Reporting by Jeremy Pelofsky, editing by David Alexander)