Gilani, Obama hold talks in Seoul

Seoul, March 27 (IANS) Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani met US President Barack Obama here Tuesday in the highest-level talk held between the two sides since the killing of 24 Pakistani soldiers in a NATO raid last year, reported Online News Agency.

The meeting took place on the sidelines of the (March 26-27) Nuclear Security Summit in the South Korean capital.

Stating that the Pakistani government wants to work together with the US for a stable Afghanistan, Gilani said he appreciated Obama expressing respect for Pakistan's sovereignty.

Gilani said the Pakistani parliament would decide the dimensions of Islamabad's future relationship with Washington.

President Obama in his remarks welcomed Pakistan's review of its relationship with the US, saying it was important for the two countries to get their partnership right.

He also said that neither the US nor Pakistan wanted to see terrorists getting their hands on nuclear materials.

It was important for the US and Pakistan to have candid and open talks, he added.

"There have been times, I think we should be frank, in the last several months where those relations have experienced strains," Obama said of the dynamic relations between the US and Pakistan.

He said he expected Pakistan's review would result in a "balanced approach that respects Pakistan's sovereignty but (which) also respects our concerns with respect to our national security and our needs to battle terrorists who have targetted us in the past".

The two-day Seoul Nuclear Security Summit ended Tuesday with consensus from world leaders to take strong actions against nuclear terrorism threat and further steps toward a safer world, Xinhua reported.

The summit brought together more than 50 leaders and four representatives of international organisations.