ISLAMABAD, Dec 2: The US is interested in establishing a new kind of relationship with Pakistan which would be 'immune' to exigencies of the times and fleeting national interests, said the new US Ambassador to Pakistan , Mr Ryan C. Crocker, here on Thursday while talking to a group of senior journalists.

A relationship qualitatively more sustainable and lasting than the one the two had during the Cold war and when Pakistan was known to be more allied ally of the US, appeared to be what Ambassador Crocker felt the Bush administration was proposing to establish with Pakistan.

In this context he seemed to believe increased cooperation between the two countries on education, health and trade would help make the relationship more enduring in character.

Responding to a question in this connection, he suggested that education, health and trade were as important for the scurity of Pakistan as were armaments for which the US had reserved half of the $3 billion assistance it had pledged over the next five years.

"I see this entire assistance as assistance for the wholesome uplift of Pakistan and not as an amount divided equally for economic and military needs," added the ambassador.

When told that a more enduring relationship could be achieved by providing Pakistan the needed commercial technologies, the capital and market access as Washington did in the case of post-war Europe and post-war Far East rather than by giving Islamabad blank cheques of grant-like economic and military aid, the ambassador did not seem to disagree.

While appearing highly sympathetic to Pakistan's request for F-16s, Mr Crocker declined to say how the US administration would respond to it and when. He also refused to either confirm or deny speculations that the two presidents would discuss the issue when President Gen Pervez Musharraf would meet President Bush in Washington on Saturday (December 4).

The ambassador seemingly felt that sales of F-16s to Pakistan would be seen at the popular level domestically as a sure sign of US sincerity to develop mutually beneficial relationship with Pakistan.

He did not agree with a suggestion that the appointment of Ms Condeleezza Rice as the Secretary of State would in any way downgrade the level of relationship between the US and Pakistan and upgrade at the same time Washington's relations with India.

He said it was President Bush who set the tone for relations between the US and Pakistan and implied that Ms Rice being personally very close to him was more likely to follow her President's tone rather than try to influence it in the opposite direction.

The ambassador appeared convinced that President Musharraf was doing the best he can under the circumstances with regard to the on-going war on terrorism, the economy and the process of restoration of democracy.

He seemed genuinely concerned about the state of rule of law in Pakistan. Answering questions on the plight of sick people, old ones and students seeking American visa, the ambassador agreed that there was a lot of room for improvement at the visa offices in Pakistan and also in the visa policies of his country and said that very soon two officials from Homeland Security would be inducted at the US embassy to help the Pakistani visa seekers.

He said until 9/11 the US was the only country in the world which did not have an interior ministry and that he believed was perhaps the reason why it is taking such a long time for the Homeland Security agency to give up their overly watchful approach and become real facilitators.

While responding to a number of heated comments questioning the US administration's seeming double-speak on democracy in the context of Pakistan, Mr Crocker said President Bush wanted to help bring democracy to the Middle East and he was all set to help usher in democracy in Afghanistan and Iraq and so, by that token, the ambassador implied, the intentions of the US could not be questioned with regard to the process of democracy in Pakistan.

He appeared to believe that the on-going peace process in the sub-continent was on the right course but thought because of the complex nature of the Kashmir problem, it would not be any time soon that the two countries would be able to resolve this problem.

He agreed with the suggestions that there was a lot to be done in tribal areas like setting up schools and colleges, building roads, providing reasonable job opportunities and starting commercial activities to improve the lot of the people living there in abject poverty.