Brussels: Secretary-General NATO Anders Fogh Rasmussen has admitted that Afghan peace linked to cooperation with Pakistan. In his latest statement on Wednesday allied forces chief urged Pakistan to cooperate with military operations in neighboring Afghanistan despite a cross-border NATO strike last month that killed 24 Pakistani troops.
Rasmussen was talking to media on Wednesday as he arrived for talks with NATO foreign ministers in Brussels.
Rasmussen, repeating his regret for the November 26 incident said that the only way forward is positive cooperation between Afghanistan and Pakistan, between the United States and Pakistan, between NATO and Pakistan.
He said that “I fully agree that at the end of the day we need a positive engagement of Pakistan if we are to ensure long-term peace and stability in Afghanistan, adding that “I hope to see progress in our relationship. We have offered a political framework for cooperation between NATO and Pakistan”.
It is still unclear what happened in the attack. U.S officials have said that Pakistani officials had cleared the NATO air strike, unaware they had troops in the area. However a Pakistani official has denied this.
