ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, June 17 (UPI) -- Pakistan Thursday welcomed U.S. President Bush's decision to designate it a major non-NATO ally.
The inclusion does not bring any immediate benefits to Pakistan, but sets the foundation for a long-term relationship.
"We welcome the decision, which reflects the U.S. desire to establish a long-term relationship with Pakistan," Masud Khan, a spokesman for the ministry for foreign affairs, told reporters in Islamabad.
Mushahid Hussain, chairman of the Pakistani Senate's Foreign Affairs Committee, said the designation is also "a recognition of the role Pakistan has played in the war against terrorism."
Other major non-NATO allies include Australia, Bahrain, Israel, South Korea, and Morocco.
Pakistan joined U.S. efforts to combat terrorism after the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States, providing military bases and logistic support to U.S. troops in Afghanistan.
Although a strong member of the U.S. camp during the cold war, Pakistan became the most sanctioned nation in the 1990s.
Washington began lifting the sanctions after Sept. 11.
