08 January 2005	Saturday	26 Ziqa'ad 1425

RAWALPINDI, Jan 7: The United States of America has enormous admiration for Pakistan's efforts against the war on terror.

This was stated by US Ambassador Ryan Clark Crocker during a meeting with Federal Minister for Defence Rao Sikandar Iqbal and Minister of State for Defence Zahid Hamid, here on Friday.

According to a press release, the US ambassador said relations between Pakistan and the US needed to be further strengthened, particularly in the field of economy. He said there was a lot of potential in Pakistan for US investment.

The defence ministers during the meeting informed the envoy about the defence requirements of Pakistan. They also highlighted various steps taken by Pakistan in its fight against terrorism.

The ongoing composite dialogue process between India and Pakistan also came under discussion during the meeting. The ministers told the US ambassador that Pakistan had shown considerable flexibility and was expecting a similar response from the Indian side.

The US envoy said his country was fully supportive of the dialogue process as this would contribute significantly towards peace, besides ensuring development in the region.