Senior US trade officials have pledged to work towards greater market access for Pakistani textile products in the United States and to advance bilateral trade and economic ties, a statement said.

They also hope for early finalisation of reconstruction opportunity zones (ROZs) legislation aimed to facilitate job creation and economic development in the tribal areas bordering Afghanistan.

"Pakistan is open for business," Gail Strickler, Assistant United States Trade Representative (USTR) of Textiles, told a large delegation of Pakistani textile exporters at a reception held for them and a number of leading US textile apparel buyers.

The Pakistani delegation was led Adviser to the Prime Minister on Textiles Mirza Ikhtiar Baig.

The reception was part of the Texworld, a trade fair for apparels, held in the United States for the first time.

Top Pakistani textile products manufacturing companies set up their stalls in the weeklong exhibition, along with those of other nations.

Strickler said the USTR would make every effort to help Pakistani manufacturers in facilitating their exports and even to improve the quality of their products.

Paul Jones, Deputy USTR, said that improving market access for Pakistani products was part of the strategic dialogue between the United States and Pakistan. Better economic cooperation and development would melt away the trust deficit between the two countries.

Michael Delaney, Assistant USTR for South Central Asia, said that creation of jobs through economic development is the best weapon to fight militancy.

He said ROZs would help improve the lives of the people in border regions.

Baig gave a detailed background of Pakistan's textile industry, which he said, contributed 8.5 percent of the GDP.

Pakistan is the world's fourth largest producer of raw cotton and it contributed 53 percent of the country's exports.

The security situation in Pakistan presented some difficulties, but by and large the country is stable. "I can say with full authority that not a single order has been canceled by any Pakistani company due to the present situation in the country."

Pakistan needed market access for its textile products at concessional tariff, Baig said.

"Our lead time is about 30 days. We have composite integrated units from spinning to finished goods," he said as he spoke of top-of-the-line machinery in factories.

Pakistan attracted an investment of $3.7 billion during the last financial year, a large chunk from the United States, Baig said. He called for more investment to help Pakistan defray the huge cost it is incurring in battling insurgency. "We are not interested in aid. We're interested in trade," Baig said.