At the same time, the Obama Administration maintained that it expects the Pakistan government to continue to cooperate with the US in the “war against terror.”
“We do not apologise for the action,” White House Press Secretary Jay Carney told reporters at his daily news conference. Carney was asked about the allegations by Gilani that the United States has violated Pakistan’s sovereignty last week when its helicopters and special operation forces carried out a covert operation that killed Osama bin Laden.
Important relationship
“This relationship is too important to walk away from,” Carney said when asked about the strain in the relationship between the two countries. “The relationship is important and complicated. It has been cooperative in the past and we hope that it will continue to do so,” he said.
Carney said the Obama Administration is in consultations with the Pakistan government at various levels on a host of issues, including access to the three wives of Osama bin Laden, detained by the Pakistani authorities from the Abbottabad hideout, and materials seized from there.
Acknowledging that there are differences between the two countries on a host of issues, the White House spokesman hoped that Pakistan would carry out a complete investigation as to how bin Laden was successful in staying in Abbottabad for so long. The US hopes that they will carry on the investigation as this is in the interest of both countries.
Treasure trove
He said there is no evidence so far that the Pakistan government knew about Osama bin Laden’s presence in the country, but hinted that this assessment might change as it investigates the issue and goes through the treasure trove of material seized from the compound.
The administration is not aware of any indication “at this point that anyone in the leadership or in the Pakistani government was aware of or had foreknowledge of bin Laden’s presence there in Abbottabad,” Carney said.
“Obviously, this was an ongoing process,” Carney said in response to a question.
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