US-PAKISTAN CONFLICT 'WON'T AFFECT US TIES WITH MUSLIM STATES'

KUALA LUMPUR (Bernama) - The current political tension between the United States and Pakistan is not expected to create economic uncertainties between Washington and other Muslim-majority nations, says a former security adviser to President Barack Obama.

Jeffrey Bader said Pakistan is a special case among Islamic countries due to the global safety and security issues that have risen.

"This has resulted in Pakistan being considered a security threat by the US.

"I would be very surprised if this issue creates uncertainty in the (US) economic relationship with Islamic states," he told reporters after a roundtable discussion on "US Policies Towards East Asia and Malaysia under President Barack Obama" here on Monday.

Bader was also the former special assistant to the US President on national security and senior director for East Asian affairs at the National Security Council.

He said the US was now undergoing a long and slow economic recovery phase.

"I am very sure it is only an illusion that we are going to see a dramatic change in the recovery.

"But, there is no doubt that the current situation in the US is difficult given that the debt crisis in Europe is still hanging over all of us," he added.