US says it supports Pak's territorial integrity

WASHINGTON: Amid a row between the two allies over cross-border raids by the coalition forces in the restive tribal belt, the US has said it supported Pakistan's "territorial integrity" and was committed to providing training and equipment to Islamabad for fighting terrorism.
    
"The United States affirmed its support for Pakistan's sovereignty, independence, unity, and territorial integrity," said a joint statement issued after the two governments held the third round of their strategic dialogue at the State Department here on Monday.
    
The US, the statement said, was "dedicated to providing Pakistan with the training and equipment it needs to fight terrorism, including support to enhance Pakistan's counter-insurgency and counter-terrorism capabilities and increased cooperation with Pakistani security forces."
    
The Pakistani delegation at the meeting was led by Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi while the US side was headed by Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte.
    
The talks came against the backdrop of cross-border raids by the US-led coalition forces in Pakistan's troubled tribal region from Afghanistan, targeting al-Qaeda and Taliban militants. Pakistan has strongly protested the US strikes.    

During the meeting, the two sides renewed their intention to work together to combat the threat of terrorism and violent extremism by expanding security cooperation. They also vowed to work together to develop and modernise the tribal belt.
    
Qureshi and Negroponte reaffirmed their commitment to a wide-ranging, substantive and long-term strategic partnership between Pakistan and the United States, the statement said.
    
The two sides also condemned the September 20 suicide bombing on Marriott Hotel in Islamabad which killed 53 people.
    
"They acknowledged that terrorism and violent extremism pose a common threat to Pakistan, the United States, and the international community," the joint statement said.