Despite frustrations, US still willing to work with Pakistan: Toner

State Department spokesman says that US is frustrated, and wants to see actions against Haqqani network.

WASHINGTON: After a day of hard statements by the Defence Secretary Leon Panetta, US state department spokesman, Mark Toner said that despite the comments, the US was still willing to work with Pakistan to squeeze the Haqqani network.

“Secretary Panetta, Secretary Clinton, others have stated before about our desire to work with Pakistan to squeeze the Haqqani Network, and that we need to make a joint effort to confront them and confront extremism writ large in Pakistan,” he said addressing the daily press briefing at the State Department.

“I think we’re frustrated.  We’ve said that before.  We want to see action against the Haqqanis.”

However, he reiterated Panetta’s message that both sides need to work on and improve the complex relationship despite the challenges it continues to throw up. “But let’s be very clear where we’ve been on the Haqqani Network.  We want to see steps taken to squeeze them.”

On restarting the fractured relationship, Toner said that it had hit the pause button on a number of issues while the Pakistani Government had its own internal deliberation about what it wants to see in this bilateral relationship.  “We gave them the time to do that, to reflect, to come forward, working through their parliament with the key issues, the key questions that they want to raise about this relationship going forward.  And that’s taken a while, that process, but now we’re engaging with them on their concerns and also coming to the table with our own concerns about this relationship,” he said.

“But I can’t put it any better than Secretary Panetta that despite it all, we have to continue to engage with Pakistan.  There’s no other option here.  We need to work together because we face such serious threats,” he concluded.