US still has serious questions on Osama hideout in Pak

Lalit K Jha
Washington, May 10 (PTI) Notwithstanding Pakistan
Premier Yousuf Raza Gilani's strong words on Osama bin Laden,
the US said it still had serious questions over the safe
hideout of the slain al-Qaeda leader deep inside that country
for over five years and that it was waiting for a response.
"We have been pretty clear that we've asked some
serious questions of the Pakistan government about what kind
of possible support network may have existed. We expect at
some point answers (to those questions)," State Department
spokesman Mark Toner told reporters Monday at his daily news
conference.
"I think that we don't expect answers quickly. We
realise that will take some time, but, you know, we'll wait
till we get a response," he said.
Referring to the Obama Administration's stated policy,
Toner said whenever the US has actionable intelligence against
someone who's responsible for thousands of American and other
deaths, other nationalities; it is going to take action.
"It's within our right to do so," he said.
"We've said pretty clearly; from the very first hours
after the raid said that his (bin Laden’s) whereabouts raise
some questions about, indeed, in this administration and
within Congress and within the Pakistani government, about how
he could have lived for such a long time, and whether he had
any kind of support there," Toner said.
In an address to Parliament Monday, Gilani reminded
the US of its own role in the creation of al Qaeda and
indirectly criticised that country for bin Laden's presence in
Pakistan's military garrison town of Abbottabad.
"Pakistan is not the birthpalce of al-Qaeda," he had
said.
Toner said the US has not jumped into any conclusions
but has asked questions and expressed its concerns to the
Pakistani government and will wait for the response.
He said the US is aware of the history of birth of
al-Qaeda, Taliban and the Mujahedeen and that bin Laden and
al-Qaeda were responsible for thousands of deaths, both in the
US and elsewhere around the globe, including Pakistan, and the
world's a better place now that he's gone.
"We continue to be in dialogue with the Pakistani
government and let's also be very clear that our
counterterrorism with Pakistan has yielded results over the
years. It hasn't always been a relationship where we've seen
eye to eye, but we have made progress, significant process,"
he said.
"We put pressure on al-Qaeda. We had the success with
bin Laden last week. So we believe it's a worthwhile
relationship. We want to continue this cooperation. The
President said that. The Secretary (of State) said that. We
believe it's in our best interests," he added.