EU backs Pakistan as "important partner" despite bin Laden hideout

The European Union continues to see Pakistan as "an important partner," a spokesman insisted on Thursday, amid mounting criticism over the fact that al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden had been hiding out for years just north of the Pakistani capital, DPA reported.

US special forces killed bin Laden on Monday after tracking him down to a fortified compound in Abbottabad, near a military academy.

Pakistani officials had forcefully denied for years rumours of bin Laden's presence. Its intelligence agencies have long been suspected of links with Islamist militants.

"The operation which led to the death of bin Laden in Pakistan has raised questions on the role of Pakistan's army and intelligence services," Michael Mann, a spokesman for top EU foreign policy official Catherine Ashton, said in Brussels.

"But there can be no doubt that we will have to rely on Pakistan's full cooperation as a partner," Mann added. "The death of bin Laden underlines the need for broad and reinforced engagement with Pakistan generally, but also on security-related issues."

The comments echoed similar statements made by NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen a day earlier.

Pakistan has a "crucial" role to play in making the region secure and stable, Mann also noted, adding that Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani needs the international community's support as he attempts to "regain full contol over all organs of state."

Gilani acknowledged on Wednesday during a visit to Paris that there had been "intelligence failure" in Pakistan, but also argued that the same was true for spy agencies in other countries.

French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe has said that he found it "hard to believe" Pakistani officials did not know that bin Laden was living in their midst.