WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House says President Barack Obama and Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari discussed terrorism and Pakistan’s economy in a short meeting Friday.
Zardari is in Washington to attend a memorial service for Richard Holbrooke, who served as Obama’s special envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan. National Security Adviser Tom Donilon says that because Zardari is on a private visit, his meeting with Obama was not as detailed on issues of military cooperation and counterterrorism as it might otherwise have been.
The White House says the two leaders will have opportunities for broader discussions later this year. Obama plans to travel to Pakistan, though a date for his visit has not been set.
Donilon says the two leaders also discussed Pakistan’s blasphemy laws that stipulate death for those insulting Islam.