The United States on Thursday voiced hope that Pakistan would resolve a row centered on its prime minister, which has heated up just as the two nations look to repair an uneasy partnership. The State Department said that Marc Grossman, the US special envoy visiting Islamabad, would meet Friday with Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, who faces removal from office after a contempt conviction by the Supreme Court.

"We do consider this an internal matter," State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland told reporters. But she added: "We expect that Pakistan is going to resolve these kinds of issues in a just way and a transparent way that upholds Pakistani laws and its constitution."

Copyright Agence France-Presse, 2012