US Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs Nicholas Burns has assured Islamabad that Washington respects its sovereignty.
Washington, Aug 4 : US Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs Nicholas Burns has assured Islamabad that Washington respects its sovereignty.
Burns, however, did not rule out the possibility of direct military strikes at alleged al Qaeda targets in Pakistan's tribal areas bordering Afghanistan.
Burns categorically said that the US would 'not hesitate' to use military force, the Dawn reported.
White House officials had confirmed that US President George Bush telephoned President Pervez Musharraf on Friday.
"He (Bush) said I know you've heard different things coming out of the system, basically, and you need to know we're going to work with you to defeat the terrorists," a White House official told media persons.
ANI