Pakistani PM Warns US of Unilateral Action

After Gilani met with President Bush, he went on CNN and stated that the US should not act unilaterally. If the US hadn't acted unilaterally then some high ranking al Qaida terrorists would still be alive. AFP

WASHINGTON (AFP) — Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani held talks with US President George W. Bush here Monday and called on the United States not to act "unilaterally" against Islamic militants in Pakistan.

Gilani, whose new government has been facing intense US pressure to crack down on Pakistan-based militants, told reporters after his meeting with Bush at the White House that Pakistan was committed to fighting extremists.

"We are committed to fight against those extremists and terrorists who are destroying and making the world not safe," he said. "This is a war which is against Pakistan, and we'll fight for our own cause."

....

Speaking to CNN television just hours after seeing Bush, Gilani said the United States needs to be more patient and should not take unilateral actions against militants in Pakistan.

Asked by CNN about a suspected US missile strike on an Al-Qaeda leader in Pakistan on Monday, Gilani said he had told Bush that "unilaterally it should not be done."

"We must have more cooperation with each other and it's our job because we are fighting the war for ourselves," he said.

Gilani declined to directly accuse the United States of being behind the missile attack, which security officials in Pakistan said had targeted Egyptian militant Midhat Mursi al-Sayid Umar, Al-Qaeda's top expert on chemical and biological weapons.