Stressing that a stable Pakistan is essential for a stable Afghanistan, British Foreign Secretary David Miliband on Wednesday applauded the Obama administration's effort to re-balancing US-Pak relationship.
"We need a more stable Pakistan to get a more stable Afghanistan. That's why I really applaud what President Obama and Secretary Clinton are doing in terms of re-balancing the US relationship with Pakistan as well," Miliband told PBS news in an interview.
Arguing that there can't be a long-term military "solution" to the problem in the region, Miliband said the military can only create the space for sustainable politics and sustainable governance.
"We are not trying to create a colony in Afghanistan. We are trying to ensure that Afghan government is legitimate and, on August the 20th, elected Afghan government is able to defend its own country," he argued.
After the United States, Britain has the second largest foreign troops in Afghanistan, which Miliband said, is in Britain's national security interest.
"After all, nearly three-quarters of the terrorist plots that have been either taken place or foiled against the UK have their links into the badlands between Afghanistan and Pakistan," he said.