June 27, 2008	Friday	Jamadi-us-Sani 22, 1429

UNITED NATIONS, June 26: Expressing concern over the deteriorating security situation on the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Thursday urged Kabul to forge a cooperative relationship with Islamabad.

He told a press conference at the UN headquarters: “It is very important for both Pakistani and Afghanistan governments to fully cooperate and work for the common effort to fight against international terrorism.”

The UN chief said that during the international conference on Afghanistan in Paris he had urged President Hamid Karzai to have a dialogue with all political factions in an effort to stabilise the situation.

He urged the Afghan government to engage in a cooperative relationship with all neighbouring countries, including Pakistan.

In reply to a question about the Pakistani government’s request for a UN investigation into the assassination of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto, Mr Ban said the matter was being looked into by legal experts.

“I have received such a communication from the permanent representative of Pakistan (in New York) and the foreign minister of Pakistan in Paris and we have been examining and reviewing the request to set up a commission under my authority, but there is no conclusion,” the secretary-general added.