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U.S. needs time to rebuild trust in Pakistan-Gates
13 Aug 2009 20:02:52 GMT
 Source: Reuters
WASHINGTON, Aug 13 (Reuters) - Pakistani mistrust over U.S. intentions has "some legitimacy" since the United States has turned away from that country twice in the last three decades, and it will take time to win their confidence, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said on Thursday.

His comments came in response to a new Pew Research Center survey that found 64 percent of Pakistanis see the United States as an enemy, but still 53 percent wanted improved relations. The survey can be seen at http://pewresearch.org/pubs/1312/pakistani-public-opinion.

"One of the reasons that the Pakistanis have concerns about us is that we walked away from them twice," Gates said at a news conference.

"We walked away from them after the Soviets left Afghanistan, and we walked away from them through the 1990s, because of the Pressler amendment," he said, referring to U.S. sanctions on Pakistan over its nuclear program.

Pakistanis "with some legitimacy" question how long the United States is prepared to stay engaged and wonder whether the war in neighboring Afghanistan is the only reason for current interest, Gates said.

"So I think it's going to take us some time to rebuild confidence of the Pakistani people that we are a long-term friend and ally of Pakistan," he said.

The United States considers Pakistan a key ally in its fight against al Qaeda and Taliban extremists.

Unmanned U.S. drones have been conducting strikes against extremist targets in the tribal regions of Pakistan that border the rugged mountains of Afghanistan.

Gates said he is considering visiting Pakistan in the next eight months.

(Reporting by Tabassum Zakaria; Editing by Vicki Allen)


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Last updated:Thu Aug 13 20:06:44 2009