Rice Strives to Close Afghan-Pakistani Rift

[spindrifter]

By Glenn Kessler
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, June 28, 2006

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, June 27 -- Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice sought Tuesday to heal a rift between Pakistan and Afghanistan, two Muslim allies of the United States, but tensions spilled over during a news conference in which Pakistani Foreign Minister Khursheed Kasuri angrily accused the Afghan government of making false charges.

Rice smiled tightly during Kasuri's five-minute emotional outburst, which was prompted by a question about Afghan claims that Pakistan is allowing its largely lawless border areas to shelter insurgents who are mounting their biggest offensive in Afghanistan since the Taliban was ousted in 2001.

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Rice plans to fly Wednesday to Kabul to meet with Karzai, who is facing mounting international criticism over his performance. As she traveled to Islamabad on Monday, Rice hailed Karzai as "an extraordinary leader" and said the United States would "back him fully."

Rice's visit comes as Karzai is straining to hold his country together but is losing popular support because of increasing violence, corruption, drug trafficking and an inability to demonstrate tangible progress since the fall of the Taliban. A failure of the Karzai government would undermine Bush administration claims that Afghanistan has become a symbol of rising freedom and democracy in the world.

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http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/06/27/AR2006062701271.html

[WannaJumpMyScooter]

1. If the likes of Gladstone, Stalin, and Churchill

not to mention Ghandi and many others could not, how does this posuer think she will?

This is the funniest item in the news today. By far.