PAKISTAN
Country denies being terrorist haven
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John Negroponte AP PHOTO
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Pakistan rejected allegations by America's spy chief that it is a refuge for terrorist leaders and demanded that his intelligence networks share information on the whereabouts of Osama bin Laden and other al-Qaida figures.
The statements Jan. 11 by U.S. National Intelligence Director John Negroponte that Pakistan is a haven for al-Qaida and Taliban terrorists are "incorrect," Pakistan's Foreign Ministry said Jan. 12.
"In breaking the back of al-Qaida, Pakistan has done more than any other country in the world," ministry spokeswoman Tasnim Aslam said. "The proper way to do this would be to share the intelligence with us."
Negroponte said that despite Pakistan's vital role in Washington's war on terrorism, leaders of both al-Qaida and Afghanistan's former ruling Taliban militia are sheltering in its lawless frontier areas, largely beyond reach of U.S. or Pakistani fighters.
The Japan Times Weekly: Jan. 20, 2007 (C) All rights reserved
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