Bush congratulated Gilani on becoming prime minister and "said he looks forward to working with him and the new government of Pakistan," spokeswoman Dana Perino told reporters. "He reiterated that Pakistan is an important ally and country, and the two leaders agreed that fighting extremists is in everyone's interest," she told reporters about the phone call at 7:50 am (1150 GMT).
Asked about Sharif's stance, Perino struck an optimistic tone. "We feel comfortable that we'll be having a continued good relationship" with the Pakistani government, she said.