Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari has welcomed his US counterpart Barack Obama's pledge to forge a new approach with the Muslim world.
The people of Pakistan welcomed Obama's emphasis on seeking "a new way forward" with the Muslim world "based on mutual interest and mutual respect", Zardari said in a brief statement.
Obama made the pledge in his inaugural address on January 20 in his maiden speech as head of the state.
Zardari said this renewal of the commitment to high ideals and values by Obama would "raise hope for a better
future for the peoples of the world".
"The US undoubtedly carries an important responsibility in charting, along with other members of the
international community, new perspectives for peace, progress and prosperity in the 21st century," Zardari said.
Pakistani leaders have said they are hopeful that the change in administration in Washington would lead to a change
in US policies for the region, especially the missile strikes carried out in Pakistan's tribal belt by American drones
operating from Afghanistan.
In its new policy agenda, the Obama administration has linked future economic aid for Islamabad to the maintenance of security along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border.
