ISLAMABAD, SEPTEMBER 19, SPA -- Pakistan and the United States have desired enhanced and closer cooperation between them in various fields especially in the area of defence, said an official statement. This was discussed at a meeting between Defence Production Minister Habibullah Warriach and US Ambassador to Pakistan Anne W. Patterson. They exchanged views on matters of mutual interest and stressed the need for intimate cooperation in areas of common interest. The Minister briefed the envoy on the steps taken by Pakistan against the war on terror. He informed her that the security forces of Pakistan needed to be strengthened in terms of better equipment so as to enable them to fight terrorist and extremist forces more effectively. Ms Patterson said that her government had taken a number of measures to strengthen and equip the security forces of Pakistan, particularly the personnel of Frontier Corps, in this regard. She stated that her government had devised a comprehensive strategy for the socio-economic uplift and infrastructural development of Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA).--SPA www.spa.gov.sa/484036