ISLAMABAD - US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice will visit Pakistan next week for talks with Washington's frontline ally on terrorism and regional issues, an official said Monday.
Rice would hold talks with her counterpart Khurshid Kasuri and have meetings with other leaders in Islamabad during her two-day visit, foreign office spokesman Jalil Abbas Jilani said.
He said Pakistan was looking forward to welcoming Rice. "This would be her first visit to the region after assuming her new office," he said.
Rice took charge from predecessor Colin Powell in January.
"Views are also likely to be exchanged on a host of other issues including, Pakistan-India dialogue, Jammu and Kashmir, Afghanistan, Iran, Palestine, the global war on terrorism, international issues as well as UN reforms."
Pakistan also hoped to "deepen and expand our mutually beneficial engagement", Jilani said.
However he did not say if Pakistan would raise its controversial request to buy more F-16 fighter jets from the US. Rival India strongly opposes the sale.
Pakistan has stood side-by-side with US President George W. Bush's administration since 9/11, earning the status of major non-NATO ally status last year.
The US Senate last year approved a 388-million-dollar budget including military aid to Pakistan and its war-torn neighbour to boost operations against Al-Qaeda suspects along the border between the two countries.
US officials believe Al-Qaeda mastermind Osama bin Laden is sheltering along the mountainous frontier. Pakistan has also captured a number of key militants over the past three years in various parts of the country.
03/07/2005 11:50 GMT