WASHINGTON (AFP) US Vice-President Joe Biden reaffirmed US support for Pakistan during its flood crisis in a telephone call Friday with Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, the White House said. Vice-President Biden underlined that the US is standing by Pakistan during this challenging time, Bidens office said in a statement. The White House said the US government had provided $260m so far in emergency humanitarian aid, including halal meals, pre-fabricated steel bridges and other infrastructure. The statement said the US was now using 25 helicopters, two C-17s, and five C-130 transport aircraft to distribute supplies, and had transported 13,000 people to safety. While we continue our immediate flood relief, Vice-President Biden highlighted that we are also pursuing a full-fledged diplomatic effort to encourage additional international resources to help Pakistan rebuild, the statement said. The two leaders discussed ongoing coordination as Pakistan transitions from relief to recovery efforts. Separately, the White House also announced that President Barack Obama was naming Cameron Munter, a veteran diplomat in conflict-torn countries, as the next ambassador to Pakistan. Munter was the ambassador to Serbia in 2008 when ultra-nationalist protesters stormed the embassy, leading him to issue a strong warning that it had better not happen again. Munter is seen as close to Richard Holbrooke, the US special envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan whose position was cast into doubt in an explosive Rolling Stone article that brought down top general Stanley McChrystal. Munter, whose appointment needs Senate confirmation, also led the first of the Provincial Reconstruction Teams in Iraq, a concept that the United States brought over from Afghanistan.