CHICAGO: US President Barack Obama said on Monday that despite difficulties that had marred America’s relationship with Pakistan since early last year, the US recognised Pakistan as a country which had to play a key role in Afghanistan and hoped that the two countries would also resolve their differences over the Nato supply routes.

He said he had met President Asif Ali Zardari briefly earlier on Monday on the sidelines of a Nato summit in Chicago and expressed to him the US desire to continue to work with Pakistan.

The Pakistani president expressed similar views, he said.

Mr Obama said that while inviting Pakistan to the summit, Nato did not believe that the dispute over Pakistan’s decision to close Nato supply lines could be resolved before the meeting but he said he believed it would be resolved.

“It is in our interest to see a successful, stable Pakistan and it is in Pakistan’s interest to have stable relationship with us.” The US, he said, did not want Pakistan to be “consumed by its own extremism”.—Correspondent