20000309

Clinton to pay one-day visit to Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: US President Bill Clinton will pay one-day visit to Pakistan during his forthcoming visit to South Asia, CNN reported.

It said: "The US president will be going on one-day trip to Pakistan when he visits the region later this month."

WASHINGTON: President Clinton would visit Pakistan because "the US have had a long-standing relationship with Pakistan and to avoid going there could send wrong signal to the people of Pakistan that after many years of close relationship, the United States is turning its back on a friend," senior administration officials said on Tuesday.

The officials emphasised that Clinton did not want to send the wrong message to Pakistan. It had its concerns which the president would express "directly to the leadership of Pakistan" as well as a "continuing statement of engagement with Pakistan as a nation and with its people. And that's a very important part of the president's decision on why he decided to go."

The officials said that the president believed that it was "crucial that he carry a message of restraint and dialogue to both capitals on this trip. He also wants to assure that we have lines of communication that may be necessary and useful in a crisis. APP