WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Friday defended her blunt talk on Pakistan, saying it was important to have an open relationship between the countries even if it meant some tough words.
During a visit to Pakistan, Clinton said on Thursday it was "hard to believe" that no one in Pakistan's government knew where al Qaeda leaders were hiding -- her first public gripe on a trip aimed at turning around a strained U.S.-Pakistani relationship.
She defended her comments in a series of morning television interviews aired in the United States on Friday.
"I wanted to get that out on the table, because the Pakistanis have talked about a trust deficit and it's a two-way street," Clinton said in an interview shown on NBC's "Today Show." "We have questions, they have questions."
In an interview aired on ABC's "Good Morning America," Clinton said the two countries needed to be more open with each other.
"I want to have the kind of relationship where we really are talking honestly about everything between us -- because there's just too much at stake," she said.
"It will not be sufficient to achieve the level of security that Pakistanis deserve if we don't go after those who are still threatening not only Pakistan but Afghanistan and the rest of the world."
In an interview with CNN, Clinton noted that she had been asking a question of Pakistan but did prejudge the answer. She also said the United States applauded Pakistan's resolve for going after Taliban extremists.
"But let's not forget, they (the Taliban fighters) are now part of a terrorist syndicate that, in sort of classic syndicate terms, would be headed by al Qaeda," she told CNN.
(Reporting by Deborah Charles; Editing by Will Dunham)
