Pakistan not creating problems for Afghanistan: Rice

Washington, May 25 : Despite differences with Islamabad over how talks with the representatives of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) should proceed, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has said that Washington does not believe that Islamabad wants to exacerbate the situation along tribal areas bordering Afghanistan.

Admitting that there were also differences between the US and Britain over Pakistan's efforts to seek a negotiated settlement to insurgency in FATA, Rice said: "I don't believe that the Pakistani Government wants to create circumstances in which terrorists can get breathing space and surely Pakistan does not want to make it Afghanistan's problem."

She said the differences over FATA talks would not jeopardise US relations with Pakistan.

"To say that one is concerned is simply what- what friends do. It's not to say that we're not going to continue to work with this Pakistani Government for which we have great respect," she said.

She said was convinced that now there existed "a better shared sense of responsibility" between Pakistan and Afghanistan for the border and the regions around it and "hopefully, talks will work."

The United States understood that fighting terrorism was not just about military action, but also about developing economic opportunities.

"One does have to be able to deal with irreconcilables through military action, but of course, you also have to win the hearts and minds of the people," she said.

"And the United States has been more than willing to support the efforts for reconstruction and development in the FATA region, for the development of better economic prospects for people in the FATA region. So, I think we will find common cause with the Pakistani Government and common ways of dealing with this."

ANI