Pakistan tells U.S. it is fighting militants

By Sue Pleming

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Pakistan's Foreign Minister sought to reassure Washington on Friday his country was doing all it could to fight militants on the border with Afghanistan and that Islamabad would not tolerate U.S. interference there.

In his first visit to Washington as foreign minister, Shah Mahmood Qureshi said he also told U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice it was in the interests of both countries to have a "more stable" relationship based not only on security cooperation.

"Pakistan is doing whatever is possible and Pakistan will do so in our own interests. We want a stable environment in that region," he told reporters of Pakistani efforts against militants in the border region with Afghanistan.

The United States has become increasingly frustrated at what it sees as insufficient efforts to fight militants. Pakistan's semi-autonomous tribal belt became a sanctuary for al Qaeda and Taliban militants fleeing from Afghanistan after U.S.-led forces ousted the Taliban in 2001.

The Pentagon last month said insurgent havens in Pakistan were the biggest threat to Afghan security, a view Qureshi strongly rejected.

"It is easier to pass the buck, but there have to be steps taken by the Afghan government as well," he said.

Some U.S. politicians, including presidential candidate Barack Obama, have even suggested the United States should attack al Qaeda inside Pakistan without Pakistani approval.

When asked whether his nation would accept U.S. troops there, Qureshi said, "We believe in our policy that (military) action in Pakistan will be taken by Pakistani troops and we cannot permit any foreign troops operating in Pakistan."