By Xinhua,
Islamabad : Pakistani Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani said Saturday that he would have an exchange of views with U.S. President George W. Bush and other U.S. officials on forging cooperation of defense, education, health, science and technology, agriculture and intelligence sharing.
Gilani made the remarks at the military Chaklala airbase before his departure to Washington on a three-day official visit to the United States.
“The two countries have excellent relations and both are cooperating with each other in a number of areas,” he said, adding that his visit is aimed at exploring ways and means to strengthen them further.
Gilani said that extremism and terrorism are the Pakistan’s own cause.
Gilani is accompanied by Information Minister Sherry Rehman, Advisor on Interior Rehman Malik and Special Assistant to PM on Economic Affairs Hina Rabani Khar, while ministers for Foreign Affairs will join his delegation in London where Gilani will have a brief stopover.
Pakistan’s defense minister will join the delegation in Washington.
Information Minister Sherry Rehman said that during Gilani’s visit, Pakistan would seek United States cooperation for economic stabilization to overcome financial, energy and food problems.
She told journalists that the United States was working on a bill to provide economic assistance worth 7.5 billion U.S. dollars and the Pakistani side would hold talks with the United States on how to take the process forward.
Pakistan would also emphasize the need for early implementation of proposals to establish reconstruction opportunity zones in tribal areas to accelerate the pace of economic activities in the region, she said.