Pakistan must clamp down on Afghan border - Canada

OTTAWA, Feb 26 (Reuters) Canada told Pakistan today it had improve the control of its border with Afghanistan to stop the flow of militants seeking to attack NATO troops.

The comments by Prime Minister Stephen Harper represented the first time Canada has publicly criticized Pakistan for not doing enough to block Taliban fighters from crossing its mountainous border into Afghanistan.

''We will concede that the Pakistan situation remains a long-term problem and we do need better efforts from Pakistan on that problem, not just for the security of Afghanistan but for the security of the region,'' Harper told reporters.

Canada has 2,500 troops in the southern Afghan city of Kandahar who clashed frequently with Taliban militants in 2006.

So far, 44 Canadian soldiers and a diplomat have been killed, most of them last year.

Separately, US Vice President Dick Cheney today urged Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf to step up efforts to combat a new Taliban offensive in Afghanistan.

Musharraf says Taliban fighters do operate from Pakistan, but says the militants' leaders are in Afghanistan.

Harper's comments came after he announced a two-year reconstruction and development package for Afghanistan which would be worth up to C0 million (0 million).

Opposition parties have complained that Canada spends too much time fighting the Taliban and not enough helping to rebuild the war-shattered country.

REUTERS SAM RN0017