Hydrablog

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/28/washington/28cnd-diplo.html
June 28, 2006
Rice Seeks to Bolster Karzai in Visit
By HELENE COOPER [state] [rice] [dog and pony show in Afghanistan and Pakistan] [may work] [it’s probably better than ignoring the growing problem] [hydra operated nearly with impunity in paki territory] [*******] [similar to above]
KABUL, Afghanistan, June 28 — Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice sought to bolster the besieged Afghanistan president, Hamid Karzai, in a visit here today. She promised continued American support for his government and said that the Taliban forces that have mounted a string of renewed attacks in the country will eventually be defeated.
Ms. Rice flew to Kabul this morning from Islamabad aboard a C-17 military jet. She met with Mr. Karzai at the presidential palace, where they discussed the Taliban's spring offensive, the strongest show of force by the insurgents since American forces chased the Taliban from power in late 2001.
"That Afghanistan has brutal enemies is no surprise to anyone," Ms. Rice said. "These are people who tried to destroy this country over a long period of time."
But, she said, "they will not succeed in undermining or rolling back the democratic gains of the Afghan people."
The United States has about 25,000 troops in Afghanistan, and is in the process of turning control of some areas over to NATO forces. Afghan and foreign officials and local villagers say that the absence of United States-led coalition forces on the ground in some areas is responsible for the Taliban's resurgence.
Mr. Karzai disputed reports that he has been largely confined to Kabul in recent months as the violence increased, particularly in the southern part of the country.
But he was expected to ask the United States for additional aid, particularly in helping to train Afghanistan's weak security forces and federal bureaucracy.
Ms. Rice tried to mediate a dispute between Pakistan and Afghanistan over which country is doing more to root out terrorism on their lawless common border. Afghan officials, including Mr. Karzai, have accused the Pakistanis of failing to do enough to rein in the recent surge in Taliban-fueled violence.
That is clearly a touchy subject with the Pakistanis. After Ms. Rice's meetings in Islamabad yesterday, when a reporter asked Pakistani Foreign Minister Khurshid Mahmood Kasuri about the Afghans' complaints during a press conference, he became very animated.
"We agreed we will not talk to the media" about bilateral discussions on the issue, Mr. Kasuri said, but apparently that promise was one he could not keep. "Silence is acquiescence," he said, "and I cannot be silent in such a time."
With Ms. Rice standing next to him and looking straight ahead, Mr. Kasuri offered a lengthy list of things he said Pakistan had given to the counterterrorist effort. He said the country had deployed 80,000 troops on the border, and was adding another 10,000 soon. He cited a suicide bombing in North Waziristan on Monday, which he said had killed seven Pakistani paramilitary troops. "We have had 650 martyred soldiers" since the border effort began, he said. "We have more troops than Afghanistan and the U.S. put together."
Pakistani officials Tuesday also had criticism for the United States's nuclear agreement with Pakistan's arch-rival, India. The deal, which still must be approved by Congress, calls for the United States to share civilian nuclear technology with India even though India has not signed the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
Pakistan, which like India has tested nuclear weapons but has not signed the treaty, wants the same deal. Bush administration officials have said they will not get it, because the architect of Pakistan's nuclear program, A. Q. Khan, is believed to have shared nuclear knowledge and materials with North Korea and other countries.
Waiting outside the hall at the presidential palace while Ms. Rice was meeting with senior leaders, Tasmin Aslam, the spokeswoman for the Pakistani Foreign Ministry, displayed almost as much irritation as her boss had, when a reporter mentioned Mr. Khan's alleged proliferation activities as a stumbling block to an agreement.
"Who has not proliferated?" she said. "What about all those U.S. scientists who proliferated? Where do you think the Manhattan Project came from?"
She said that Pakistanis believe that the house arrest imposed on Mr. Khan, a national hero, is punishment enough for him.
Salman Masood contributed reporting from Islamabad for this article
Copyright 2006 The New York Times Company