Haqqanis, Taliban needed in peace process - Clinton

By Andrew Quinn and Augustine Anthony

ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on Friday that efforts to stabilise Afghanistan would focus on getting the Taliban and the al Qaeda-linked Haqqani network to pursue peace, but warned stern action must be taken if they don't cooperate.

"Now we have to turn our attention here on the Pakistani Taliban, Afghan Taliban, Haqqani and other terrorist groups and try to get them into a peace process," Clinton told a news conference during a visit to Pakistan, a nation seen as critical to U.S. efforts to end the conflict in Afghanistan.

"But if that failed, prevent them from committing more violence and murdering more innocent people," she said.

On Thursday, Clinton and top U.S. military and intelligence officials delivered a tough message to Pakistani leaders to crack down on militants, especially groups like the Haqqanis that are blamed for attacks on American targets in Afghanistan.

U.S. pressure on Pakistan has been mounting since American special forces found and killed Osama bin Laden in May in a Pakistani town, where he had apparently been living for years.

The secret raid caused the worst damage to relations between the allies since Pakistan joined the U.S. war on militancy after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States.

Pakistan's military said the raid was a flagrant violation of sovereignty, while in Washington U.S. officials wondered whether an ally that receives billions of dollars in American aid had been sheltering the world's most wanted man.

In a news conference with Pakistani Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar, Clinton said she asked Pakistan to cooperate more on the issue of the Haqqani network, which Washington believes is based in North Waziristan near the Afghan border.

Friday's joint news conference came a day after what had been described as "extremely frank" discussions Clinton and a heavyweight team of U.S. officials held with their Pakistani counterparts.

The Haqqani group, which says it left sanctuaries in northwest Pakistan, has emerged as the most high-profile threat to American interests in the region since bin Laden's death.

Analysts say Pakistan sees the Haqqanis as a lever in Afghanistan, where its rival India is vying for influence.

Clinton said Washington and Islamabad would work together to fight militancy. She appeared to put more emphasis on Pakistan as a potential peacemaker in Afghanistan, instead of just focusing on its failure to eliminate militant groups.

"Coalition and Afghan forces are increasing the pressure on the Taliban in Afghanistan," she said.

"And across the border, we look to Pakistan to take strong steps to deny Afghan insurgents safe havens and to encourage Taliban to enter negotiations in good faith."

(Writing by Michael Georgy; Editing by Paul Tait)