ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, March 17 (UPI) -- The United States wants a long-term relationship with Pakistan and is not engaged in a "marriage of convenience," Secretary of State Colin Powell said Wednesday.
Powell, who is scheduled to meet Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf in Islamabad Thursday, said it was wrong to view "the U.S.-Pakistan partnership as a marriage of convenience."
The friendship, he said, was a key part of the U.S. strategy for fighting terrorism around the world.
Those who think otherwise, he said, "lack the vision to recognize the promise of our partnership."
He said he brought a message to Pakistan from President George W. Bush and the American people that "the U.S. partnership with Pakistan is not just for today and tomorrow. Our partnership is for the long term."
The opposition in Pakistan, particularly those from the religious parties, says Musharraf has annoyed powerful religious forces in the country in return for a temporary friendship with the United States.
They say once the need for pursuing the Taliban and al-Qaida fugitives in Afghanistan and Pakistan's tribal belt is over, the United States will dump Musharraf and his country, leaving Pakistan at the mercy of extremists.
