UNITED NATIONS - Pakistan's president said Friday he still looks positively on U.S. support to his nation despite a brief exchange of gunfire between the two countries a day earlier along the border with the Afghanistan.
Asif Ali Zardari's remarks came during a brief appearance alongside Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice after they emerged from an hour-long private meeting with other foreign ministers from major powers.
"I look at U.S. support as a blessing. I look at the world support as a blessing to Pakistan," Zardari said.
On Thursday, Zardari addressed the U.N. General Assembly and warned that Pakistan cannot allow its territory to "be violated by our friends."
His speech came hours after Pakistani and U.S. troops clashed on the ground after Pakistanis fired on or sent flares at two American reconnaissance helicopters. The Pakistanis said that the U.S. choppers had crossed into the tribal Pakistani areas along the Afghan border that are semiautonomous regions where the Pakistani government has traditionally had limited influence.
Asked about the clash, Zardari said Friday: "We've always, whenever we meet with our friends, we discuss all the weaknesses and definitely try to make them into our strengths. All weaknesses have to be looked at. And if there have been any weaknesses or any foresight, definitely we talk about it."
Rice did not answer when asked about the border clash, but expressed unwavering U.S. support for Pakistan.
"We know that Pakistan has many challenges in security, in the economy, and in bringing stability to this young democracy," she said. "But we hope that the president and Pakistani people were assured today that the international community will be by their side as they take difficult decisions and move toward a more stable and prosperous Pakistan."
The Bush administration is trying to get off to a good start with Zardari, who replaced strong U.S. ally Pervez Musharraf.
The United States is worried, however, that Pakistan is not doing enough to keep militant groups from using the tribal belt as a base to stage attacks in Afghanistan, and that the new government will cut deals with people Washington considers outlaws.
Pakistan acknowledges extremist groups and al Qaeda fugitives are in its frontier region and concedes it is difficult to prevent militants from slipping into Afghanistan.
Asked by a reporter if Osama bin Laden is hiding in Pakistan, Zardari replied: "If I knew that question, he wouldn't be asking me that question."
Pakistan says it is doing the best it can to rid the tribal areas of militants, deploying 120,000 soldiers in the northwest, and is paying a heavy price in losses from its security forces. Some of Pakistan's recent military offensives also have drawn a wave of retaliatory suicide attacks by the Taliban.
But Zardari also is wary of appearing too cozy with Washington, whose anti-terrorism tactics are highly unpopular in Pakistan.
Pakistani officials say they received no advance warning about a missile strike that they claim U.S. troops launched last week in northwest Pakistan. That same day, Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, was in Pakistan assuring leaders that the U.S. respected the Muslim nation's sovereignty.
