The United States media on Thursday highlighted Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi's assertion that the trust deficit between longtime allies US and Pakistan has seen a sharp drop, even though some key items on Islamabad's wish-list could not be fulfilled through the strategic dialogue.
'Pakistan says it is 'satisfied' with US pledges on aid delivery,' said The Washington Post headline accompanied by a picture of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and her Pakistani counterpart Shah Mehmood Qureshi in a jovial mood following their meeting at the State Department on Wednesday.
The Washington Times too splashed the same picture with the headline 'Pakistan official: US mistrust is gone'.
Quoting Qureshi, The Times said, 'Washington's longtime suspicion and mistrust of Pakistan and questions about its commitment to fighting Islamic extremists have vanished, and the Obama administration has agreed to fast-track Islamabad's pending requests for military equipment.'
The Washington Post said Obama administration's primary goals for the gathering were to create a new level of bonding between the two countries and to win increased Pakistani cooperation in the fight against the Taliban and Al-Qaeda.
US officials, aware of Pakistan's often-prickly response to perceived slights, were deferential to the Pakistanis and offered fulsome praise, it said.
"We have listened, and we will continue to listen," Clinton said.
"And we want to demonstrate by both word and deed our respect for Pakistan's concerns and ideas and share our own," she added.
According to The Washington Post, Gen Ashfaq Kiyani, the powerful army chief of staff, was clearly the star of Pakistan's delegation, if not its official leader.
"At a Tuesday evening reception at the Pakistani Embassy, Kiyani's entry brought a hush to the crowd and the appearance of dozens of cell phone cameras, wielded by Pakistanis and Americans alike," it reported.
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