US denies civil nuke deal with Pakistan

Washington: Ahead of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's meeting with President Barack Obama, the US today downplayed reports of a "breakthrough" civil nuclear deal with Pakistan.

"About the sort of reports that the United States and Pakistan were planning a (civil nuclear deal) -- or published reports indicated that there may be a breakthrough in this regard, and I would significantly reduce your expectations about that occurring on Thursday," White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said.

Earnest said Obama is looking forward to welcoming the Pakistani Prime Minister to the White House later this week.

"There are a range of issues that are important for us to discuss, including the announcement that the president made last week about our strategy in Afghanistan moving forward," he said.

"We certainly have an important security relationship, and the security cooperation between our two countries is beneficial to the safety and security of the citizens in both our countries, and I'm confident that will be the focal point of discussions," Earnest said.