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Clinton Makes Surprise Pakistan Visit

   VOA News  May 27, 2011

   U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is in the Pakistani capital for
   talks with top officials aimed at repairing ties that have been
   strained since U.S. commandos killed al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden in
   Pakistan.
   Clinton is meeting with President Asif Ali Zadari and other officials,
   including the nation's army and spy chiefs during the unnannouced visit
   to Islamabad Friday. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike
   Mullen is accompanying Clinton in the talks.
   Ahead of her arrival, U.S. officials announced that Pakistan had agreed
   to allow the CIA to examine the compound where bin Laden lived before
   his death.
   U.S. commandos quickly searched the compound in Abbottabad immediately
   following the May 2 raid that led to bin Laden's death, but U.S.
   intelligence officials have wanted to do a more thorough search.
   Clinton told reporters during a recent meeting in Paris that Pakistan
   has not always acted decisively in the war on terrorism and that it is
   time for Islamabad to meet Washington's "expectations." She did not say
   what those expectations are.
   Despite recent tensions with Pakistan, Clinton has said the U.S. needs
   to maintain a strategic, long-term relationship with Islamabad. She has
   also praised Pakistan for engaging in its "own bitter fight with these
   terrorists."
   Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani said Wednesday his country
   is entering a "defining phase" in the fight against terrorism.
   Pakistan received $2.7 billion in security-related assistance from the
   United States in the fiscal year that ended last September. It is the
   third-largest recipient of U.S. security aid and reimbursements, after
   Afghanistan and Israel.
   Some U.S. lawmakers have threatened to cut off funding following the
   recent tensions between the two governments.

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