Obama to meet with Pakistani prime minister

Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama will meet Pakistani Prime Minister Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani Tuesday, the Illinois Democrat’s campaign said Tuesday.

Obama has stepped in hot water during the campaign for tough talk on Pakistan, most notably a year ago when the Illinois Democrat said, “If we have actionable intelligence about high-value terrorist targets and President Musharraf won’t act, we will.”

{mosads}At the time of the statement, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) attacked Obama, calling him naïve and questioning his readiness to be commander in chief.

Obama reiterated that sentiment earlier this month, but softened his stance, saying that he hopes “it doesn’t come to that.”

Gilani met with President Bush Monday and asked that the U.S. not act “unilaterally” against terrorist targets in Pakistan.

“We are committed to fight against those extremists and terrorists who are destroying and making the world not safe,” Gilani said. “This is a war which is against Pakistan, and we’ll fight for our own cause.”

Bush said that Americans are becoming “impatient” with Pakistani efforts, adding that “in the future, I think we’ll have more cooperation on the intelligence side and we’ll do the job ourselves.”

Obama’s meeting with Gilani is the most recent in series of high-profile meetings with world leaders.