Pakistan Warns Petraeus Of Missile Strike Backlash

General Petraeus is making his first trip to Pakistan in his new role as head of U.S. Central Command and the Pakistanis have warned him that more U.S. missile strikes inside of Pakistan will increase anti-American resolve in the country. Here's some of the details from the article over at Breitbart:

Pakistan warned a top U.S. general Monday that frequent missile strikes on its territory risk inflaming anti-American sentiment.
Gen. David Petraeus met with Pakistan Defense Minister Ahmad Mukhtar as part of his first international trip since taking over U.S. Central Command on Friday.
The visit indicated how crucial the U.S. considers Pakistan's support in the fight against Islamist extremists, especially those in its neighbor Afghanistan. But it also comes amid Pakistani calls to halt U.S. missile strikes on suspected militant targets on its soil.
A Defense Ministry statement said Mukhtar told Petraeus, Assistant U.S. Secretary of State Richard Boucher and others in the entourage that the missile strikes from drones "generate anti-America sentiments as well as create outrage and uproar among the people."

The article goes on to talk about how Petraeus and Pakistani officials talked about peace talks with the Taliban - Petraeus does support talks with very moderate factions of the Taliban but I think his angle is much different than the Pakistanis and the Afghans in that I believe Petraeus thinks that a divide can be created in the Taliban where the two countries think that overall, the Taliban as a whole can be appeased.

Either way you want to look at all of this, it is a good thing that Petraeus is making this trip - he is not only a brilliant strategist on the battlefield but is savvy in dealing with politicians and heads of state. I'm sure Petraeus very diplomatically stated the need for attacking al Qaeda elements inside of Pakistan and served up a rallying cry for unity against al Qaeda's attempt to create unrest inside of Pakistan.

I doubt we will see an end to strikes inside of Pakistan unless something more major was agreed upon in these meetings that we simply don't know about.

Pakistan warns Petraeus against missile strikes

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AP) - Pakistan warned a top U.S. general Monday that frequent missile strikes on its territory risk inflaming anti-American sentiment.
Gen. David Petraeus met with Pakistan Defense Minister Ahmad Mukhtar as part of his first international trip since taking over U.S. Central Command on Friday.
The visit indicated how crucial the U.S. considers Pakistan's support in the fight against Islamist extremists, especially those in its neighbor Afghanistan. But it also comes amid Pakistani calls to halt U.S. missile strikes on suspected militant targets on its soil.
A Defense Ministry statement said Mukhtar told Petraeus, Assistant U.S. Secretary of State Richard Boucher and others in the entourage that the missile strikes from drones "generate anti-America sentiments as well as create outrage and uproar among the people."
The U.S. wants Pakistan to do more to crack down on insurgents who use pockets of its northwest region as sanctuaries from which to plan attacks on U.S. and NATO troops in Afghanistan, where violence is running at its highest levels since 2001.
The missile strikes in the border region indicate U.S. impatience with Pakistani efforts.
Washington is suspected in at least 17 missile strikes in Pakistan since August. Despite repeated Pakistani condemnations, the strikes have continued.
In September, a U.S. ground assault in a tribal region in Pakistan's northwest spurred outrage in Pakistan and prompted a flurry of diplomatic activity. There have been no reports of additional ground assaults since.
Acting U.S. Embassy spokesman Wes Robertson declined to provide specifics on Petraeus' agenda for security reasons. However, he also is expected to meet with Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, President Asif Ali Zardari and Pakistan's army chief, Gen. Ashfaq Parvez Kayani.
At the Defense Ministry, officials also briefed Petraeus on Pakistani military operations against insurgents in its border regions. According to the statement, both sides "stressed the need for enhanced cooperation to eliminate the scourge of terrorism."
Another topic that could come up during the general's trip is negotiations with the Taliban. Pakistani and Afghan leaders have vowed to seek talks with elements of the militant movement.
Petraeus, previously the top U.S. commander in Baghdad, has indicated support for efforts to reach out to members of the Taliban considered moderate enough to cooperate with the Afghan government.
Meanwhile, Zardari was scheduled to arrive Tuesday in oil-rich Saudi Arabia to request a deferral on oil payments and other possible support, the Foreign Ministry said. Another potential topic: negotiating with the Taliban.