Bush wants Musharraf and Karzai to work together against terrorism

Washington, Sep 28 (UNI) Amidst reports of spurt in insurgency in Afghanistan, President George W Bush has apparently urged Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf and his Afghan counterpart Hamid Karzai to sink their differences and unite in fighting terrorism.

He made this plea at three-way dinner meeting in the private family dining room of the White House last night. Vice President Dick Cheney and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice were also present.

At the end of dinner which lasted about two-and-a-half, a White House statement said the three leaders ''committed to supporting moderation and defeating extremism through greater intelligence sharing, coordinated action against terrorists, and common efforts to enhance the prosperity of the people of Afghanistan and Pakistan.'' There was no structured agenda for the meeting. The US is keen on easing tension between the leaders of the neighboring countries who blame each other for the increase in violence in Afghanistan.

In addition to NATO forces, the US, which has 20,000 troops in Afghanistan, is engaged in searching al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden believed to be hiding somewhere in the Afghan-Pakistan border.

Before the dinner, President Bush, standing between the two visiting leaders said, ''These two men are personal friends of mine.

They are strong leaders who have an understanding of the world in which we live. They understand that the forces of moderation are being challenged by extremists and radicals.'' ''All of us must protect our countries but at the same time we all must work to make the world a more hopeful place. And so today's dinner is a chance for us to strategise together; to talk about the need to cooperate to make sure that people have got a hopeful future,'' he said.

Presedent Bush said both wanted to see Osama bin Laden captured.

''As we work for a more hopeful world, we will continue to make sure that extremists, such as Osama bin Laden, that wants to hurt my friend here, as well as upset the democracy in Afghanistan, is brought to justice,'' President Bush said.

Earlier, both President Karzai and President Musharraf had separate meetings with President Bush.

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