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Terrorism row overshadows Cameron, Zardari talks

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

London, Aug 6, IRNA -- Prime Minister, David Cameron, was holding talks on Friday with President Asif Zardari following a row over accusations that Pakistan was exporting terrorism.

Cameron’s spokesman said the talks at the prime minister’s country residence at Chequers, north-west of London, was expected to include “co-operation in countering terrorism and violent extremism.”

“The leaders are expected to discuss the threat, review ongoing efforts, and explore what more can be done. The UK already has a significant program of counter-terrorism assistance in Pakistan,” the spokesman said.

“It is an important opportunity to reinforce the strong links between the UK and Pakistan and continue to support stability, security, democracy and prosperity in Pakistan,” he said.

Other issues likely to be at the top of the agenda include the situation in Afghanistan, and next steps on the military surge and the political process, as well as the international response to the worst floods suffered in Pakistan for 80 years.

Zardari has faced criticism for going ahead with his visit to London following the humanitarian disaster, while Cameron has come under domestic fire for his blunt accusations, expressed during a visit to India last week.

Former Liberal Democrat leader Sir Menzies Campbell suggested that the British prime minister should be using the talks to mend fences with Pakistan.

“It is not in our interest to be at loggerheads with a country which is so important to the outcome in Afghanistan and so essential to our national security,” he said.

The formal talks come after Zardari was guest at a private Chequers dinner on Thursday night. During his visit he has also met Foreign Secretary, William Hague, and Conservative chair, Baroness Warsi.

Warsi, whose parents are from Pakistan, insisted that the prime minister was a “true friend of Pakistan” by speaking out about the terrorism problems in South Asia.

“The best relationships between countries have to be rooted in honesty and mutual respect and it is absurd to deny that Pakistan has a problem with extremism and terror inside its country,” she said in an article for the top-selling Sun newspaper on Thursday.