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."

FOCUS ON FIGHTING TERRORISM, RISING FOOD COSTS

Asked whether he had made this point clear during talks with Rice, he said: "They understand the local situation and the people's mood and sentiment. They are very aware."

State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said the meeting had focused on fighting terrorism and cross-border issues with Afghanistan, as well as how the United States could help ease the crisis from rising food costs.

The new civilian rulers in Pakistan, led by the party of assassinated former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, has been trying to shift away from a predominantly security-based relationship with the United States that it held under President Pervez Musharraf.

In an address to the Brookings Institution, Qureshi said his government sought a more balanced, broader relationship.

"For too long our bilateral relationship has hinged heavily on cooperation in security areas, but luckily there is a clear realization from both sides that we need to broaden and deepen the relationship, to expand our cooperation across a broad spectrum from agriculture to trade, to energy and education," he said.

He referred to "cyclical" treatment from the United States based on security needs. Since the 2001 attacks on the United States, Washington had sought closer cooperation with Pakistan to fight al Qaeda, which is blamed for the attacks.