Pakistan hopes Obama to play role for regional peace

[Lahore_Real_Estate]

Pakistan Thursday expressed the hope that U.S. President Barack Obama would take up issues that are central to ensuring peace and stability in the region during his forthcoming visit to India.

Obama will pay his first official visit to India next month and will first visit Taj Hotel, one of the targets of the 26/11 Mumbai attacks, to remember the victims of the terror strike.

The U.S. president will meet Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and President Pratibha Patil. He will also address the Indian Parliament.

"The U.S being major power, Pakistan hopes it to play its role for regional peace," Pakistan Foreign Ministry spokesman Abdul Basit said.

Before his visit to India, Obama on Tuesday telephoned Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari to reassure him that America' s relations with New Delhi did not affect its partnership with Pakistan.

President Obama will also visit Pakistan next year and has invited Zardari to visit the U.S. earlier next year.

The spokesman reiterated Pakistan's stand that U.S. drone attacks in the tribal regions constitute breach of its sovereignty and the United States must revisit this policy that is also counter productive.

Basit did not agree to a questioner that it was failure on the part of Pakistani authorities that the United States is not agreeable to civil nuclear cooperation with Pakistan despite its growing energy needs.

"The United States is appreciative of Pakistan's energy requirements and hopes that the dialogue would continue," he said.

The spokesman hoped that the situation in Afghanistan would improve allowing project for import of gas from Turkmenistan to complete.