Afghanistan, Pakistan hope tuesday's summit eases tensions

The presidents of Pakistan and Afghanistan said on Tuesday that they hope the trilateral summit between the two countries and Turkey leads to a reduction of recently flared-up tensions. The sixth trilateral summit between Turkey, Pakistan and Afghanistan, hosted by Turkish President Abdullah Gul on Tuesday in Istanbul, concluded with the three countries signing agreements and memoranda of understanding for cooperation in various areas and expressing willingness to join hands in working towards peace and security in the region. Afghanistan-Pakistan relations remain strained after both have accused the other of supporting terrorist attacks and activities in one another's countries. Afghanistan also has accused the Pakistani spy agency of being involved in the recent assassination of former Afghan President Burhanuddin Rabbani. Afghan President Hamid Karzai, calling the trilateral summit a significant move in the right direction, adding: "The unfortunate assassination of Rabanni has thrown the entire [peace] exercise into difficulty. It was almost the end of negotiations." In fact, the summit was the first meeting between the two neighbors since the assassination. Gul and Karzai said one of the most important results of the trilateral summit was the creation of a joint mechanism between the Afghan and Pakistani governments' intelligence officials on the assassination of Rabanni. "If there is tension between Pakistan and Afghanistan, there cannot be a healthy transition," Davutoglu said, referring to the Afghan security forces' plans to assume responsibility for the security of the country as foreign troops pull out of the region. Gül, Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari and Afghan President Karzai discussed after the signing ceremony the fruits of what they called very "sincere, effective" meetings between the three leaders as well as their senior officials and military leaders. Both Zardari and Karzai thanked Turkey, their "devoted brother," for hosting the summit and cultivating the grounds for such meaningful dialogue between the two countries. "We are happy to have a brother like Turkey on our side," Karzai said. All leaders emphasized the complexity and difficulty of finding a solution to regional security and peace in the region. Zardari, calling Afghanistan the "graveyard of empires," stressed: "NATO and other national armies have been there for 10 years. If it was easy, the problem would have been solved by now." Pakistan's Zardari said its neighbor Turkey, not non-state actors and interest groups, is in the best position to take steps for peace and stability. He said: "Some well-intentioned friends from afar may want to help, but would not know our culture and traditions. Turkey, our brother and fellow Muslim country, is better placed to guide us." When asked to explain his remarks that talks should be held with Pakistan and not Taliban, Karzai said Afghanistan had been dedicated to meeting with Taliban leaders. "Then it came out one of the members of the peace talks turned out to be a suicide bomber and killed former President Rabbani. We cannot have conversations with suicide bombers. We will not talk with the Taliban until we have the telephone number of the Taliban, a door to knock at of the Taliban, and a representative of the Taliban we can meet who is not a suicide bomber."