WASHINGTON, Nov 16: US Secretary of Treasury, Paul H. O’Neill, has said that Pakistan and the United States have a shared interest in combating terrorism, which is a threat to all civilized people.

Talking to journalists on Friday evening before leaving on a week-long trip to South Asia, O’Neill said while in Pakistan he would share America’s “appreciation for the efforts of the Pakistani government and Pakistani people in combating terrorism.”

He said fighting terrorism would allow peoples of all nations to “live their chosen lives in peace and build prosperity for themselves and future generations.”

He said at an Iftar dinner that Finance Minister Shaukat Aziz will host for him in Islamabad, he will repeat President George W. Bush’s message that “learning from each other we can build bridges of mutual trust and understanding.”

In Pakistan, he will also visit a women’s sewing cooperative that was started with a small loan from a micro-finance institution. He said the project was an example of “the entrepreneurial spirit that exists everywhere in the world and only needs a nourishing environment of economic freedom and security to sprout and bring prosperity to all people.” O’Neill, who will also visit Afghanistan and India, said the South Asian region was an area of crucial importance to the security of the world.

“Common prosperity and security are our clear mutual interests, and I am hopeful that my visit this week will lead to a greater understanding of how we can work together to advance both,” he added.