Pakistan president, army chief meet

ISLAMABAD -- Pakistan's army chief paid a visit to the country's president Saturday in a meeting that may signal a willingness for reconciliation between the military and the civilian government after a week of escalating tensions and rumors of an impending coup.

Gen. Ashfaq Pervez Kayani and President Asif Ali Zardari discussed the "current security situation," according to the state-run news agency.

Friction between the military and the government has spiked after an unsigned memo was sent to Washington last year asking for its help in heading off a supposed coup. The note enraged the army, which was still smarting from the humiliation of last year's covert U.S. raid that killed Osama bin Laden.

Zardari's office welcomed the meeting with Kayani and said it should help relations.

The army has staged at least three coups in Pakistan's six-decade history and still considers itself the true custodian of the country's interests.

-- AP