President Zardari briefed by Obama ahead of speech

Nice little headsup to Pres. Zardari , Give him some time to come up with a plan to Calm his people down when they Just don't hear what they want !

....Dawn.com
ISLAMABAD: President Barack Obama on Tuesday night telephoned his Pakistani counterpart Asif Ali Zardari and briefed him on the White House’s new Afghan strategy, an official statement said here.

Obama will on Wednesday announce a swift six-month surge of 30,000 more US troops to Afghanistan but also define an ‘end-game’ to the gruelling eight-year war, officials in Washington have said.

Obama ‘mentioned the broad outlines of the policy a few hours before its launch and reaffirmed US commitment to a long-term partnership with Pakistan for security and stability,’ said the Pakistan government statement.

Details of the conversation were also released the White House press secretary:‘The (US) President recognized the profound sacrifices Pakistan has made in its efforts to combat extremists in its northwest and emphasized that our goal is to defeat al-Qaida and to ensure stability in the region.’

‘The two presidents agreed that the close partnership between Pakistan and the United States is vital to success, and President Obama promised to continue to assist Pakistan in its efforts against extremists,’ it added.

The president’s speech, which will also move forward US strategy in Pakistan, will be closely watched by foreign governments weighing US intent and Obama is also expected to ask Nato partners for more troops.

Top advisers said Obama will tell Afghanistan and Pakistan that the United States cannot stay forever but also offer an assurance that Washington will not abandon them.

Obama aides have said the president will set clear expectations for the Afghan government, in improving security and cracking down on corruption.

A US official, speaking on condition of anonymity ahead of Obama’s nationwide address, said that the president would insist on establishing a ‘back-end’ to the new deployment.

The president had decided that plans for a slower ramp up of extra US troops would not work, so he ordered a much swifter deployment, the official said.