US again asks Pakistan to attend Bonn conference

The White House has once again asked Pakistan to attend the upcoming crucial international meet on Afghanistan in Bonn.

Pakistan had on Tuesday announced not to participate in the conference in Bonn in Germany in protest against the killing of its 24 soldiers by NATO forces in a cross-border fire on the Af-Pak border over the weekend.

"We urge them to attend the conference in Bonn, and are working with them on our overall relationship," White House Press Secretary Jay Carney told reporters at his daily news briefing.

"We understand that this is complicated by events, as has been the case at various times this year. It is an important relationship that we continue to work on, because it's in the interest of the American people and our national security that we continue to work on it," Carney said in response to a question.

Pakistan alleges that the NATO attack was intentional and a violation of its sovereignty.

Meanwhile, in an opinion peace in International Herald Tribune, Senator John Kerry, Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said regardless of whether or not Pakistan participates, Bonn is still an opportunity for the US to make clear that they are not abandoning Afghanistan.

"We have significant long-term strategic interests in the region that will be imperilled if we do not engineer a responsible transition," he wrote.

Noting that the road to peace was never going to be easy, he said the past year has been especially trying for the US-Pakistan relationship.

"Despite our many frustrations and setbacks, both sides must remember what is at stake here and that we have more to gain by finding common ground. We have to take a collective deep breath," Kerry said.

"We should all seize this moment -- including Pakistan, whose role is key in making any kind of peace last. If Pakistan does not attend Bonn, it will send a dangerous message that it is not serious about working with Afghanistan and the international community to promote stability," he said.