No cause for alarm over Pak situation, Rice

"The positive here is that you have a democratic government in Pakistan ---I do believe that from a democratic government’s foundation, it’s possible that you could have a situation in which the Pakistani Government is better able now to address the challenges that it’s got, particularly on the extremism side, because it has a legitimacy of democracy behind it."

  She noted that Pakistan faces dangers from extremism but "It doesn’t mean that we don’t have to work hard with them on capacity. It doesn’t mean that this isn’t a very dangerous circumstance."

"But what you have to do is work through this with them; not to become alarmed about it, but to work through this with them. And at least you have a democratically elected president that has the legitimacy of that â€" of that election."

  Rice cited President George Bush's meeting with President Asif Ali Zardari in New York last month and said Washington is working with the elected government to overcome challenges facing it including the economic problems.