Senior US commanders discuss border cooperation with Kayani

General James Mattis and General John Allen arrive in Pakistan, meet army top brass.


Ispr /afp March 28, 2012

ISLAMABAD: Two top US generals held talks with the Pakistan army chief on Wednesday, in the first such meeting since air strikes killed 24 Pakistani soldiers four months ago, the Pakistan army said.

It is the first high level meeting after Salala incident. The meeting focused on the inquiry into the incident and improvements in Border Coordination Procedures.

Earlier in the day, they called on General Khalid Shameem Wynne, Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee. General James N. Mattis and General John Allen discussed bilateral defence matters, and the emerging geo strategic situation of the region, with the Chairman.

General Mattis, and General Allen, had arrived in Pakistan for a pre-scheduled official tour.

The November 26 strikes, for which the United States has so far refused to apologise, prompted Pakistan to shut its Afghan border to NATO supplies and evict American personnel from an air base reportedly used in its drone war against al Qaeda and the Taliban.

The Pakistani army said the meeting would focus "on the inquiry into the incident and improvements in border coordination procedures".

A Pakistani security official, speaking to AFP confirmed that the American generals had arrived in Pakistan, but declined to give any further information until after the meeting had taken place later in the afternoon.

On Thursday, US President Barack Obama met Pakistan's Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani at a nuclear summit in Seoul, and vowed to rescue their troubled alliance which almost ruptured over months of mistrust and recriminations.

It was the highest-level exchange between the two sides since the killing of Osama bin Laden in a clandestine US raid on Pakistan last May.

COMMENTS (44)

John Marsh | 11 years ago | Reply

In view of my implacable opposition to the current US administration it's military and foreign policy, my indefatigable efforts to impress upon the US administration and it's unelected Secretaries of various departments, the failed attempt to prevail over sovereign nations, the US military having lost every war since Korea. The attempted full spectrum dominance of the US Empire is all for naught. As this Empire looses sway the military lashes out against those who oppose it endangering the US economy, finances and civil liberties of the domestic population. I take it I will be on the T.S.A. N.S.A. CIA no fly list and may even make it to the point where your President feels it necessary to have me murdered by one of your Hell Fire missile firing drones. This will not stop the criticism of the outrageous behavior of the USA.

John Marsh | 11 years ago | Reply

@US CENTCOM: Dear Major Nevers, In this article I intend to answer your letter directly and the pertinent points raised by that correspondence. I remember the initial negotiations with Pakistan's General Musharraf and the then Chief of staff Colin Powell.Your assertion that the US and Pakistan have always had an open dialogue and good working relationship belies the Musharraf Powell negotiations; where Powell offered a shower of US aid or shower of US bombs driving them back to the stone age. This arrogant disdain for other nations is symptomatic of US foreign policy towards the political independence, sovereignty and territory of others. There is a certain disingenuous nature to General Mathis negotiations with General General Khalid Shameem Wynne just as the continued violation of Pakistan's sovereignty continues through the drone attacks. Your appreciation of what you term Prime minister Gilani's work is somewhat premature, the prime minister unlike your leadership is constrained by his political adversaries and Pakistan's general public opinion and reaction. Whereas the UN-elected public official Leon Paneta the secretary of defense of course is not so constrained! in his latest statement he stated that "the Afghan war would continue despite American public opinion and opposition by several of the congressmen and senators". You assertion that the people of the region will benefit from this relationship and the attempt to counter terrorism misses the point entirely! your illegal occupation and state terrorism visited on the region by the US military and it's NATO and Coalition partners is the cause of the violence. The Taliban have the right no less the duty to attack these foreign forces to counter and prevent the continued war crimes being committed by these foreign forces.Your only option Major is to withdraw your war criminal forces and leave the region in peace not in the pieces that US policy appears to predicate.

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