Afghan President Hamid Karzai attempted to ease tensions with
Pakistan, asserting Thursday that a strategic partnership with India and
talks for a similar U.S. deal do not threaten his country's neighbors.
Pakistan
had reacted angrily to the India deal announced last month that many in
Islamabad fear would increase its archenemy's influence in Afghanistan.
The
pact, the first Afghanistan has signed with any country, included
provisions for India to help train and equip Afghan security forces.
Some
feared Pakistan could respond by ramping up its alleged support for
Afghan insurgents to ensure that its own influence in its neighboring
country did not wane.
Karzai told leaders of South Asian nations
at a regional summit in the Maldives that the India agreement, along
with talks it was holding with the United States for another strategic
partnership, was intended to promote peace.
"I wish to reassure
our neighbors ... that none of our partnerships we forge now or in the
future shall pose a threat to our neighbors or to our region," he said.
India
and Pakistan have fought three wars since they became independent from
Britain in 1947, and Pakistan is sensitive to any signs India could be
gaining an upper hand in the region.
Pakistan is also under
increasing U.S. pressure to cut ties with militants who could be
potential allies against Indian influence in Afghanistan once Washington
withdraws its combat troops in 2014.
The relations between India
and Pakistan have shown signs of improvement recently. Pakistan granted
Most Favored Nation status to India to normalize trade while India had
supported Pakistan gain non-permanent member status in the United
Nations Security Council.
Also Indian Prime Minister Manmohan
Singh and his Pakistani counterpart Yousuf Raza Gilani met at the
sidelines of SAARC on Thursday after which Singh declared that both
countries should stop wasting time exchanging barbs and open a new
chapter in their relations.
Praising the developments Karzai said
"I hope such examples of goodwill and confidence building will become
the norm rather than the exception in South Asia."
Karzai said
there was a need for a collective regional action against terrorism and
such action would require "overcoming trust deficit" between countries,
in indirect reference to India and Pakistan. AP
