KARACHI—Armed with a brand-new Urdu phrasebook, the U.S. ambassador to Pakistan, Anne Patterson, said at a press conference Wednesday that she was "fairly certain" she had strengthened her country's bonds of friendship with Pakistan during a recent trip to the country. "Pakistan is an important partner in the region, and I got the general sense that I successfully affirmed our everlasting commitment to their great nation," said Patterson, who described a much-needed moment of levity during the talks when she may or may not have made a joke about growing up in Arkansas. "And, judging by the way [Pakistani ambassador Husain Haqqani] smiled when I was done talking, America has committed an additional $60 million in aid for victims of the recent floods. Unless it was $600 million." Haq≠qani told reporters he speaks fluent English.