ISLAMABAD (AP) — Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton has been meeting with Pakistan's president and prime minister today, seeking to convince them that the U.S. is committed to the country's long-term development needs as well as immediate security gains.
Clinton landed in the Pakistani capital, Islamabad, at the start of a South Asia tour. She's planning to announce about $500 million in several new development programs focused on water, energy, agriculture and health. It's part of a bill approved by Congress last year to triple nonmilitary aid to Pakistan to $1.5 billion a year over five years.
The Obama administration's special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, Richard Holbrooke, says the new focus is changing Pakistani attitudes within the government and, "more slowly, within the public."
Washington is looking to gain greater Pakistani cooperation on policy goals, including combatting Pakistan-based militants accused of conspiring to attack the United States, and stepping up action against extremists along the Afghan border.
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<<APPHOTO TOK205 (07/18/10)>>
: U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, center, walks on the red carpet upon her arrival at PAF Base Chakala in Islamabad for meetings with leaders and officials Sunday, July 18, 2010. U.S. Secretary of State Clinton started a South Asia tour on Sunday aimed at refining the goals of the nearly 9-year-old war in Afghanistan and pushing neighboring nations to work together in the fight against al-Qaida and Taliban extremists.
