Ahmedinejad makes surprise visit to Kabul

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From Fazle Rashid
NEW YORK, Mar 11: Mahmoud Ahmedinejad, President of Iran, sprang a major surprise visiting Afghanistan to express solidarity with the country and severely chiding America to the utter discomfort of Karzai for fomenting friction in the region. Ahmedinejad's Kabul visit took place in the presence of US defence secretary Robert Gates. Ahmedinejad never shy of rebuking America. He shot back at American allegations that Iran was providing support to Afghan insurgents accusing the United States of playing its own double game. The cluster of diplomacy is an indication of the intensifying dialogue as the United States, Afghanistan and its neighbours begin trying to put the peace process for an eventual resolution to the war and angle to protect their interests in whatever regional order prevails, the New York Times in a report said.
Hamid Karzai later flew to Pakistan to discuss the outcome of the discussion with the two important visitors he had. There has been important developments in Pakistan as well Lt Gen Ahmed Pasha, chief of Pakistan's intelligence network -- Inter Services Intelligence -- more famously known by its acronym ISI has been given a year's extension. Pakistan's army chief Gen Parvez Kayani whose tenure ends this year will also be given an extension.
Senior American generals have cultivated ties with the two generals by making frequent trips to Pakistan. Two Pakistani generals have not moved Pakistan from its traditional strategic priorities retaining India as the arch enemy and keeping Afghan Talebans as proxies against Indian interest in Afghanistan, NYT reported.
The US defence secretary Robert Gates flew to Saudi Arabia after his visit to Kabul. The secretary told members of the Saudi royal family that the United States want to help the Kingdom by beefing up its military requirements in the face of Iranian threats. US pressed Saudi Arabia to do its bit to apply sanction against Iran. Gates told King Abdullah and crown prince Sultan that the US is committed to protecting its allies in the Persian gulf from Iran.
The civilian casualties in the air strikes by the US and Pakistan is mounting exacerbating anti-American feelings. The total death of civilians in the air strikes in recent months have not been tallied and made public.
Six Pakistani employees of the American charity World Vision were killed in an attack on aid group's offices in rural Pakistan. There was no immediate claim of responsibility. The US House of Representative has overwhelmingly turned down a call to withdraw American troops from Afghanistan.
Palestinian leaders in their meeting with visiting US vice-president Joseph Biden harshly criticised Israel's decision to extend its settlements in the occupied areas thus jeopardising the peace process. Biden condemned the new housing in blunt terms saying the new settlements would undermine the confidence needed to move the peace process forward. Palestinian Prime Minister Sadam Fayyad called the Israeli move damaging and a direct challenge to the US effort to get the peace process going again.