Zardari says storm after PM's terrorism claim will blow over

PAKISTAN'S president declared that "storms will come and storms will go" but that his country's friendship with Britain was "unbreakable" yesterday, as he and Prime Minister David Cameron sought to play down the war of words between the two leaders over terrorism.

A week after Mr Cameron accused elements within Pakistan's intelligence agencies of abetting terrorist groups, Asif Ali Zardari insisted he wanted to face down tensions between the two nations "with dignity".

In a statement after talks with the president, Mr Cameron also spoke of the "unbreakable relationship" between Pakistan and the UK, as they sought to show the country's historical ties over-rode any political spats.

The talks appeared last night to have settled Mr Cameron's first major diplomatic row, which followed his visit to India last week, when he accused Pakistan of "facing both ways" in the war on terrorism. He said elements in Pakistan should not be allowed to "promote the export of terror whether to India, whether to Afghanistan or to anywhere else in the world".

That prompted a visit by Pakistani intelligence officials to Britain to be called off in protest, and demands for Mr Zardari to follow suit by cancelling his meeting yesterday. However, in talks at the Prime Minister's official residence of Chequers, the pair spoke privately for an hour, and emerged declaring a joint resolve to fight extremism.

Mr Zardari fought off criticism that he should have returned home to monitor the government's response to the devastating floods. Mr Zardari's son, Bilawal Bhutto also released a statement rebutting claims that Mr Zardari was only staying on so he could attend a rally in Birmingham today intended to launch his political career.

Bilawal said: "I will not even be attending the event and instead I will be opening a donation point at the Pakistani High Commission in London for victims of the terrible floods which have ravaged northern Pakistan."