Islamabad: The United States no longer views its relations with Pakistan as a "marriage of convenience" and wants to re-define the bilateral ties without any "third-party strings" in the post September 11 scenario, US Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage has said.

"The post September 11 scenario in Afghanistan has given both the countries an opportunity to try to re-define the relationship without any third party involvement. It's going to be a long-term relation free of third country strings. We are working hard to make sure that this relationship works," Armitage told a group of visiting Pakistani veteran journalists in Washington on September 4.

"We realise the mistakes that we made in the past but Pakistan also made some mistakes. There is, however, now a qualitative difference as reflected from the words of President Musharraf and his colleagues."

"That relationship is still new and needs to be integrated," Armitage was quoted as saying by the local media on September 5.

Appreciating Pakistan's co-operation and dispelling the impression that Washington was putting more pressure on Pakistan, he said the co-operation from Pakistan "is invaluable which is pretty high".

Observing that it (siding with US) was not easy for Pakistan, he said, "We have great admiration for the efforts being rendered by Pakistan Army, police and intelligence services towards the war against terrorism."

Armitage also dispelled the impression in Pakistani media that the US has done nothing for the co-operation extended by Islamabad against terrorism by pointing towards a $ 1 billion debt relief and a $ 600 million assistance package given to Islamabad after it joined hands with USA in the war against terrorism.

The US Congress is working on yet another assistance package, he said expressing the hope that all such help would go to the benefit of the people of Pakistan.

PTI