Pakistan one of the most valuable allies in fight against terror: Bush

WASHINGTON: US President George Bush, acknowledging Pakistan’s important role in counterterrorism, Thursday said it has become one of the most valuable allies in the war on terror.

Continuing a series of speeches marking the fifth anniversary of September 11 attacks, President Bush said in Georgia, Atlanta that the governments of Pakistan and Saudia Arabia “have become some of our most valuable allies in the war on terror.”

These countries, he said, are joined by the largest coalition in the history. He said coalition countries are determined to find terrorists, to dry up their funds, to stop their plots and to bring them to justice.

In his speech Bush also recognized the cooperation of US allies in thwarting the London terror plot last month, which targeted passenger planes over the Atlantic.

President Bush highlighted a number of steps his administration has taken in fighting off terror and ensuring homeland security since Sept 11 attacks five years ago, and said America today is safer.

Meanwhile, American officials have expressed a strong confidence in Pakistan continuing hunt for terror operatives, saying it was simply not true that terrorists would somehow get a free pass.

A White House official said Wednesday Pakistan has clearly stated that the recent peace pact in a part of the tribal region bordering Afghanistan would not “diminish efforts to apprehend ”top al-qaeda operatives.

The State Department on Wednesday had also welcomed President General Pervez Musharraf’s visit to Afghanistan and said the peace agreement in a part of the tribal areas is a sovereign decision for Pakistan to take.