'We will co-operate fully' Pakistan leader tells Powell

Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf today said his country will cooperate with United States military efforts in neighbouring Afghanistan as long as it takes for the operation to be successful.

With US Secretary of State Colin Powell at his side, Musharraf said Pakistan will unconditionally continue to meet its commitment to share intelligence with the US, allow use of its air space and provide logistical support.

"We certainly will carry on co-operating so long as the operation lasts," Musharraf told a crowded news conference at the presidential palace in Islamabad.

At the same time, Musharraf expressed hope that the operation in Afghanistan will be short - a point with which Powell concurred.

But Powell noted that President Bush has said that the anti-terrorist campaign in Afghanistan will continue as long as it takes to achieve its objectives.

The United States began military operations in Afghanistan on October 7 with the goal of hunting down suspected terrorist Osama bin Laden and his al-Qaida organisation for their perceived role in the September 11 terrorist mass murders in the United States.

Also targeted by US forces is the Taliban militia which controls Afghanistan and shelters bin Laden.

Powell told the news conference he was satisfied that his talks in Pakistan provided a "solid foundation" for a durable US relationship with Pakistan.

He said that on his return to Washington, he will make a strong case with the administration for providing debt relief for Pakistan - a priority goal of Musharraf’s government.

Both Musharraf and Powell called for a broad-based government to replace Taliban rule. Powell said Afghanistan needed a government that "will welcome refugees instead of providing them".

Powell expressed a willingness to help Pakistan and India resolve their differences over Kashmir.

He stressed the need for dialogue and, in a comment certain to please Pakistanis, said the dispute "must be resolved in accord with the wishes of the Kashmir people".

Powell did not discuss the shelling attack by Indian forces across a ceasefire line in Kashmir that was initiated an hour before his arrival here Monday evening.

He was due to fly to India this afternoon for an evening dinner planned with Indian foreign minister Jaswant Singh. A meeting with Prime Minister Atal Bahiri Vajpayee is set for tomorrow.

The US wants India and Pakistan to soften their differences over Kashmir and concentrate instead on fulfilling their commitments to the anti-terror coalition which President Bush’s administration has been trying to build since the outrages of September 11.