US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi has met President General Pervez Musharraf and discussed a number of issues, according to an official statement. Ms Pelosi led a delegation of House of Representatives - Tom Lantos, Chairman, House International Relations Committee; Ike Skelton, Chairman, House Armed Services Committee; Silvestre Reyes, Chairman, Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence; John Murtha, Chairman, Defense Appropriations Sub-Committee; Congresswoman Nita Lowey, Chairperson, Foreign Operations Appropriations Sub-Committee, and David Hobson, Member, Defense Appropriations Sub-Committee. During the meeting, Musharraf expressed Pakistan's resolve to fight extremism and terrorism was unshakable. The discussions covered Pakistan-US relations and regional issues of common interest. Musharraf underscored the importance Pakistan attached to a broad-based, long-term and sustainable relationship with the United States. He noted the development of multi-faceted cooperation between the two countries. The president stressed the significance of strong trade and economic ties to underpin an enduring relationship. Initiatives like the Reconstruction Opportunity Zones and the tribal areas Sustainable Development Plan were important in this regard. The president stressed the importance of strong defense ties. The Congressional team was apprised of the comprehensive strategy being followed by Pakistan, comprising political, military, administrative and economic tracks. The president underlined that a holistic approach was essential to effectively combat the challenges of extremism and terrorism. While noting the importance of military means, he emphasized that the solution lay essentially in a political approach. Musharraf referred to the misperceptions in sections of the western media about Pakistan's role in the fight against terrorism and stressed that the US Congress could help in removing these misperceptions. --MORE
