WASHINGTON -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Pakistan is optimistic about the Obama administration 's commitment to its region and will work with the United States on trying to root out extremism within its borders , Pakistan 's foreign minister said . Pakistani Foreign Minister Makhdoom Shah Mehmood Qureshi meets U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton . Following a meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton , Pakistani Foreign Minister Makhdoom Shah Mehmood Qureshi cited a `` convergence of interests '' between Washington and Islamabad and a `` willingness to work together . '' `` I see a lot of hope in the new administration , the new leadership , and Pakistan is willing to work with the American administration to fight extremism and terrorism , '' he said Tuesday . `` We are determined to defeat terrorism in all its forms and manifestations . '' Qureshi is in Washington to take part in strategic review of U.S. policy to stabilize Afghanistan and neighboring Pakistan . The effort is being led by South Asian security expert Bruce Reidel and Ambassador Richard Holbrooke , U.S. special envoy . Afghan Foreign Minister Rangin D. Spanta also was leading a delegation from his country to take part in the review . He and Qureshi will meet with both Clinton and Holbrooke this week . U.S. President Barack Obama and Clinton tapped Holbrooke as special representative for the two countries , a signal of how the new administration considers Afghanistan and Pakistan intertwined in any solution to the war in Afghanistan and the terrorist threat along their shared border . `` We are consulting very closely with the government of Pakistan on our strategic review of our way forward and I 'm very grateful for the minister 's advice and counsel , '' Clinton said after meeting with Qureshi . Last week Obama announced he is sending another 17,000 troops to Afghanistan to fight a strengthening insurgency , which Obama has called the `` central front in our enduring struggle against terrorism and extremism . '' The troops will be sent to southern Afghanistan , which borders Pakistan and is a haven for Taliban insurgents . Pakistani officials have expressed concern the deployment will push the Taliban across the border into Pakistan and further destabilize their country . The Obama administration is conducting several reviews of U.S. policy in Afghanistan , including a review by Gen. David Petraeus , the commander in the region . Defense Secretary Robert Gates has said the original mission in Afghanistan was `` too broad '' and needs to be more `` realistic and focused '' for the United States to succeed . Pakistan is engaged in its own effort against Taliban militants in its Northwest Frontier Provence . The militants , who effectively control the country 's Swat Valley , extended a cease-fire Tuesday as part of an agreement with the government , a deal the U.S. and NATO warn risks granting a safe haven to extremists near the Afghan border . Watch why the deal is being viewed as a capitulation '' Swat Valley was once one of Pakistan 's biggest tourist destinations . It is situated near the Afghanistan border and about 186 miles -LRB- 300 kilometers -RRB- from Pakistan 's capital , Islamabad . In recent months , militants have unleashed a wave of violence that has claimed hundreds of lives across the province . The militants want to require veils for women and beards for men and to ban music and television . The fighting has displaced nearly half of Swat 's population , officials said . The central government has long exerted little control in the area , but it launched an intense military offensive in late July to flush out militants . As retaliation for the military presence , the Taliban carried out a series of deadly bombings , beheadings and kidnappings -- and said the attacks will continue until the troops pull out . The Taliban said Tuesday it was indefinitely extending a cease-fire Taliban leaders declared eight days ago after signing a controversial deal with the government to impose Islamic law , or Sharia , in the region . The Pakistani government 's decision now to negotiate with Pakistan has been met with international criticism . Holbrooke has said the Obama administration was `` troubled and confused '' by the truce in Swat . Holbrooke and NATO officials have expressed concerns that such an accord could cede effective control of the Swat Valley to extremists .