国际英语新闻：Pak president protests against U.S. missile strikes

ISLAMABAD, Jan. 24 (Xinhua) -- Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari Saturday protested over U.S. missile strikes on the tribal regions and said that such strikes were counterproductive, according to local press reports.

    The private NNI news agency quoted official sources as saying that Zardari told U.S. ambassador N.W. Patterson that the drone attacks could affect the war on terror.

    Zardari made it clear to the U.S. envoy that only Pakistani security forces had the right to act against the militants, according to the report.

    He hoped that the new U.S. administration would stop missile strikes on the tribal regions, adding that the Pakistani democratic government was under tremendous pressure due to the issue, it said.

    The Pakistani parliament has adopted a unanimous resolution which clearly says that any U.S. and NATO attacks would be considered as attack on the country's sovereignty.

    Zardari was quoted as saying that the Pakistani government is holding dialogue with those militants who give up weapons and accept the writ of the government, saying that multi-pronged policies have proved fruitful in the tribal regions.

    Meanwhile, in a brief story, the official APP news agency only reported that the U.S. ambassador to Pakistan had a luncheon meeting with Zardari here Saturday and current regional situation and bilateral issues came under discussion.

    Around 20 people were killed Friday in two separate missile strikes from drones in South and North Waziristan of Pakistan.

    The strikes were the first since U.S. President Barack Obama took office and came one day after he appointed a veteran diplomat as his special envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan.

    Pakistani Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani has sent out an invitation to the newly-appointed special envoy for Pakistan and Afghanistan Richard Holbrooke to visit Pakistan.