Pakistan, Afghanistan on top of US agenda for UN General Assembly: Clinton

Washington, Sep.20 (ANI): US Secretary of States Hillary Clinton has said that issues relating to Afghanistan and Pakistan are on top of America's agenda for the forthcoming UN General Assembly.

Addressing a gathering at the Brookings Institution here, Clinton said the United States would focus on various issues like the on going struggle in Iraq, Afghanistan and nuclear non-proliferation during the 64th session of the UN General Assembly.

"We are focussing intensively on urgent challenges like Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan.Our agenda is ambitious," Clinton said.

Highlighting that dismantling the network of Al-Qaeda and other extremist groups based in Afghanistan and Pakistan is one of the prime objectives of the Obama Administration, Clinton said she along with President Obama would attend several meetings related to Afghanistan and Pakistan during the General Assembly.

"Our core goal is to disrupt, dismantle, and ultimately defeat Al Qaeda and its extremist allies, and to prevent their return to either country. This is a goal we share with Afghanistan, with Pakistan, and with the international community," The Dawn quoted Clinton, as saying.

She said both the Pakistan and Afghanistan governments must try to overcome the basic problems of poverty and corruption in order to root out extremism from the region.

"To effectively squeeze the extremists fighting to destabilize both countries, the Afghan and Pakistani governments must be better able to secure their territory from these extremists and meet the basic needs of their populations," Clinton said.

"Corruption is as big a national security threat as I can imagine.The United States has to take some of the responsibility for it in Afghanistan," she added. (ANI)