U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Wednesday said that senior level officials from the administration of U.S. President Barack Obama are welcoming the openness and “condor” they have received in their meetings with Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari and Afghan President Hamid Karzai. Clinton's comments, which came in her surprise visit to the White House briefing room, came after she met with the leaders, and before they were set to meet with Obama. The meetings are the second in a series of trilateral talks between the United States, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. The leaders are set to meet with their U.S. counterparts on Thursday. These rounds of talks are showing “promising signs… [in] moving forward…[towards] tangible cooperation,” Clinton said. The Secretary touted the talks, saying the leaders were “very forthcoming,” in their meetings. “We don't want any misunderstanding…any mixed signals,” Clinton said, emphasizing the need for “candor [in speaking with Afghan and Pakistani leaders]…[it] is way overdue.” She said her talks with the leaders were concentrated on developing the countries' agricultural sector, along with both of their “commitment…to judicial reform” and combating terrorism. The fight against terror is a fight against an “enemy that we are all fighting,” she said. After her meetings with Zardari and Karzai, Clinton said she is “very optimistic… [but also] realistic,” in that it “is a long, difficult struggle” to stabilize the respectively war-torn and embattled countries. Acknowledging the difficulty of the struggle ahead of Afghanistan and Pakistan's struggles, she urged “patience,” and said especially for Pakistan, the United States must approach them with “ a little understanding on our part” about the chaos the Zardari has inherited. After Clinton left the briefing room, White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said that Obama understands the importance of this “continued engagement” with the leaders, adding that the “President recognizes the severity of the situation” in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
