Turkey's Erdogan: Sudan's Darfur Policy Less "Criminal" Than Israel in Gaza

Mahmoud Abbas: “Israel Does Not Want Peace but We Do”
Israel-Palestine Video: Obama & Peres on the Path to Peace

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On Sunday, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan offered support to Sudanese leader Omar al-Bashir and attacked Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Amidst harsh criticisms of Bashir's possible arrival in Istanbul for the summit of the Organization of the Islamic Conference this week --- it was later confirmed that he would not attend --- Erdogan said he did not believe that the Sudanese President was guilty of the crimes for which he was indicted by the International Criminal Court. However, Sudanese officials have already confirmed that Bashir will not come to Istanbul.

Then, Erdogan compared the Israeli offensive in Gaza and the continuing drama in Darfur. He said, "It is not possible for those who belong to the Muslim faith to carry out genocide....If there were such a thing in Darfur, we would be chasing this to the end." He added that he "cannot discuss this [allegation for war crimes] with Netanyahu but I can easily discuss such issues with Omar al-Bashir". Erdogan stated that Israel had committed greater crimes against Palestinians.

Meanwhile, Syrian President Bashar Assad offered a caution to Erdogan earlier Sunday. He said that Turkey should maintain good relations with Israel so it could mediate Damascus-Jerusalem peace negotiations. Assad's statement is a likely reaction to the assertion of Netanyahu that "Turkey cannot be a honest broker anymore" and suggestions that countries such as Croatia and Italy could step in as a mediator.

In the Israeli newspaper Ha'aretz, Yitzhak Laor offers a provocative and supportive argument of Erdogan's position vis-a-vis Israel, stating that Israel's apartheid is worse than South Africa's. Settlements and policies of discrimination in Israel. backed by Washington, are creating a worse atmosphere for Palestinians than the past in South Africa, where black people could at least make a living.

Mahmoud Abbas: "Israel Does Not Want Peace but We Do"

Israel-Palestine Video: Obama & Peres on the Path to Peace

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On Sunday, Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas met with his supporters, as they chanted "Mahmoud Abbas, don't step down! You are the foundation", in the West Bank town of Bethlehem. He said:

These are the conditions of the Road Map that urges Israel to halt settlements, dismantling all of the settlements that are built on lands of the West Bank in order to establish a Palestinian state.

It appears they [Israelis] do not want peace, and they don't want to stop settlement, and they don't want the vision of two-states, so I don't know what they want.

We must remain believers in peace.

The Latest from Iran (8 November): Challenge Renewing?

NEW Latest Iran Video: Mehdi Karroubi on the 13 Aban Protests
NEW Iran: An Opposition Renewing, A Government in Trouble
Iran: Question for the Regime “What’s Your Next Punch?”
NEW Latest Iran Video: More from 13 Aban & from Today (8 November)
Iran’s New 13 Aban: An Eyewitness Account “I Have Never Seen as Much Violence”
Iran: Josh Shahryar on the Significance of 13 Aban
The Latest from Iran (7 November): Regrouping

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2215 GMT: On? Off? Well, I guess for a day that started with a projection of Government uncertainty, it is appropriate that it should end that way. Having said on Saturday that Iran could reject the Vienna enrichment deal, top lawmaker Alaeddin Boroujerdi http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_world/view/1016801/1/.html on Sunday, "Our first option is to buy fuel of 20 per cent (enrichment). But if we cannot buy it we could make a limited exchange on condition that first we get fuel of 20 per cent."

So is Boroujerdi shifting in recognition that pro-deal forces have pressed ahead (see 1640 GMT)? Or is he just manoeuvring for a better position, working with allies, to hold out against any agreement?

2030 GMT: Another day with some releases from prison and some cases going to trial. The file of Mohsen Aminzadeh, Deputy Foreign Minister in the Khatami Government, has been sent to the Revolutionary Court.

1930 GMT: An Iranian blogger reports that Mohammad-Hossein Saffar-Harandi, the former Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance, was met by sustained protests when he visited Gilan University in northern Iran today and left to shouts of "Murderer, Get Out!". We have video in a separate entry.

1850 GMT: Three Iranian judges have reported been fired because of their connection with the Kahrizak Prison, infamous for alleged abuse of detainees.

1640 GMT: Nuclear Deal On? Yes, the Ahmadinejad Government is pressing ahead, despite objections from within the establishment.

"Diplomats close to nuclear negotiations" say that Iran will offer a two-stage delivery of uranium to be enriched in Russia. Each delivery will consist of 400 kilogrammes. The total of 800 kilogrammes, or just over half of Iran's current stock of uranium, compares with a single delivery of 1200 kilogrammes in the proposal from October's Vienna talks.

The revelation of Iran's counter-offer may have been prompted by the gathering flurry of voice in Iran's state media saying no deal was possible (see yesterday's updates and 1300 GMT). Or it may be connected with a visit, reported in Fars News, of Soviet Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov to Tehran.

1620 GMT: Presidential Confusion. Here's the latest explanation for why Ahmadinejad did not appear last night. He was going to speak about his subsidy reform bill but then decided not to appear, since this might pre-empt Parliament's discussion on the measure today. The director of his Public Relations Department now says, "The interview is slated for next week." He added:

Such a relation [between postponement and Parliament's subsidy reform discussions] cannot be denied but other issues may also be involved. However, what Fars news agency has issued is not what we announced and they have offered their own comment. Actually it will be disrespectful to people if we declare that the interview was not conducted due to the president's other engagements.

Understand that? I don't. Accept it? No again.

1605 GMT: For What It's Worth. Parliament's National Security Commission has announced that it will investigate the events of 13 Aban.

1545 GMT: Correction on the Bread Story. An EA correspondent checks in to clarify the economic situation in Iran:

The rising bread prices in Tehran are not a result of the subsidy plan, which has not even been ratified by the Majlis [Parliament] or the Guardian Council. The changes in Tehran's bread prices stem from the Government's experiment with higher-quality wheat in the bread. For this they have to charge more, even with the subsidized price, to bakers. They first did this in Karaj (a suburb of Tehran) after the election. No bread riots there, even though it is a poorer area. Then they expanded it through Tehran slowly.

1535 GMT: Rafsanjani Surfaces. The former President has met members of Parliament from the Western Provinces. He has once again called for a constructive social and political dialogue. Implicitly criticising  post-election coverage by state media, he said concerns must be heard and the creation of unity through due legal process and avoidance of extreme and divisive actions is a necessity.

1510 GMT: Appearing in Revolutionary Court, Behzad Nabavi, a senior member of the reformist Mojahedin of Islamic Revolution party, has denied all charges against him.

1310 GMT: Mediaflash --- Iranian Politics Makes Washington Post Columnist's Head Explode. It's not just the headline of David Ignatius' column, "Iran's 'Great Satan' addiction", that indicates ill-informed stereotype and hysterical pseudo-analysis is to follow. There is his ignorance of any aspect to the Iranian post-election crisis other than the "nuclear issue" and his reduction of Iran's politics to Ahmadinejad v. the Reformists (and then Khamenei Jumps In).

What really gives offence is that Ignatius won't admit that the "Great Satan" problem lies not with the Green movement but with his own inability to appreciate 1) that opposing the regime does not necessarily mean giving up a claim to Iran's sovereignty over nuclear energy and 2) that opposition to Ahmadinejad's tactics of negotiation with the US has more to do with criticism of the President's quest for legitimacy than it does with anti-Americanism. Thus this well-connected Washington columnist throws out the Green opposition as a movement tainted with an incurable Iranian disease:

Rather than speak up for dialogue with the United States, many of the reformists gathered around former prime minister Mir Hossein Mousavi decided instead to score political points against Ahmadinejad. The past month has been a reminder that the very existence and legitimacy of Khamenei's regime are interwoven with a defiant anti-Americanism. This legacy infects even the reformers who protest against Khamenei.

1300 GMT: Nuclear Deal Off?A "well-informed" Iranian source has rejected the compromise "third-party enrichment" proposal of Mohammad El Baradei, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency. Only yesterday Iranian state media were featuring El Baradei's suggestion Turkey to replace France as the third country with Russia and Iran in the enrichment plan, but the source claims, "It seems the IAEA chief is trying to take advantage of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's visit to Turkey to gain media coverage on a closed issue."

It remains to be seen whether the source is part of the Ahmadinejad camp, indicating that third-party enrichment is now dead as a negotiating possibliity, or whether he is connected to Iranian politicians trying to undermine the deal (and possibly the President).

1255 GMT: An Ahmadinejad Victory. Amidst the apparent turmoil within the Government, the President did pick up a big win on Sunday when the Parliament approved proposals to redistribute money saved from subsidy cuts. The Parliament, however, retains a say in the plan, as the cash in the state budget where the legislators have oversight powers.

1145 GMT: Press TV is now featuring news of Ali Larijani's meeting with senior Iraqi clerics, including Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani. Unsurprisingly, there are no indications of whether the talks focused on Iranian or Iraqi politics, only general platitudes such as Larijani "underlin[ing] the importance of religious authorities' viewpoints in resolving various issues among Muslims".

0910 GMT: We have posted Mehdi Karroubi's video statement on 13 Aban.

0835 GMT: With news coming in of the Karroubi video and uncertainty over Ahmadinejad's moves, we've split off our initial update as a separate analysis, "An Opposition Renewing, A Government in Trouble".

0825 GMT: Yes, Challenge Renewing. Mehdi Karroubi has just released a video statement on the 13 Aban protests. He declares that the Government has failed to put down the opposition with force and points to the Ahmadinejad hypocrisy of backing anti-US protests while negotiating with Washington.

0815 GMT: Busted! Ahmadinejad's Cancelled Speech and the Trip to Ankara. And here is the revelation that the President's 2nd postponement of his post-13 Aban speech is a sign of a Government in trouble. From the Chinese news service Xinhua:

Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad will depart to Turkey on Nov. 8 to take part in the economic summit of Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) in the country, the official IRNA news agency reported on Monday.

So Ahmadinejad knew he was going to Turkey 48 hours before 13 Aban. And that exposes his excuse, more than 48 hours after 13 Aban, that he had to cancel his Saturday speech because he suddenly noticed he was going to Ankara.

0750 GMT: Will Russia Shift on Sanctions? As those opposed to the enrichment deal sent out their message yesterday through MP Alaeddin Boroujerdi, Russian President Dmitri Medvedev declared, in an interview with Germany's Der Spiegel magazine, that Iran must abide by international rules and not hide its nuclear facilities. He added that it would be better to avoid sanctions, but they cannot be excluded if there is no progress in the talks.

It should be remembered that Medvedev offered a similar statement after the "revelation" of the second enrichment facility in September and that Der Spiegel has a tendency towards sensationalism in its coverage of Iran. So this feels more like a bit of pressure from Moscow for Iran to keep negotiating on an enrichment deal, rather than a threat of imminent sanctions.

0735 GMT: A Symbol? Today's update picture (left) is of an empty University classroom. The inscription on the wall, "Death to Khamenei".

Iran: A List of Journalists Detained Since 12 June

The Latest from Iran (8 November): Challenge Renewing?

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From Tehran Bureau:

The following is a list of those whose arrest and imprisonment have been confirmed, together with a brief background, if available. Some may have been released, which is noted if the information was available. The list may not be exhaustive. This list contains the names of 72 journalists, but Reporters Without Borders has said that 100 journalists have been arrested in Iran over the past 150 days.

Marjan Abdollahian was on the staff of the moderate conservative Hamshahri newspaper, published by Tehran's city council; arrested July 9.

Mohammad Ali Abtahi Chief of Staff, and then Vice President to Mohammad Khatami for parliamentary affairs; a principal advisor to Mehdi Karroubi (the other reformist candidate) in the rigged June presidential election; popular reformist and one of the first clerics to launch a blog, Webnevesht; a leading member of the Association of Combatant Clerics, the reformist leftist clerical organization that supports Mir Hossein Mousavi.



Bahman Ahmadi Amooei journalist and husband of Jila Bani Yaghoob.

Reza Alijani winner of RWB's 2001 Fondation de France press freedom prize; close to the Nationalist-Religious Coalition, has been jailed numerous times; arrested June 13 (later released).

Morteza Alviri leading advisor to Mehdi Karroubi; contributor to many reformist newspapers, particularly to the daily Hamshahri, when he was Tehran's Mayor (released recently).

Mahsa Amrabadi reporter for the Etemaad-e Melli (National Trust) daily, the mouthpiece of the National Trust Party of Mehdi Karroubi; arrested June 14 and kept in solidarity confinement while pregnant (released recently).

Karim Arghandehpour journalist writing for reformist newspapers Salaam, and, Vaghaa-ye Ettefaaghiyeh, both of which were shut down by the hard-liners. He ran a blog, www.futurama.ir.

Hassan Asadi Zaydabadi blogger, and director of the human rights committee of the Organization of University Graduates of Islamic Iran (known in Iran as Advaar-e Tahkim); a supporter of Karroubi.

Mohammad Atrianfar deputy Interior Minister in the first Khatami administration; member of the Central Committee of the Executives of Reconstruction Party (ERP), a reformist party; editor-in-chief of the popular daily Hamshahri during the second Khatami administration; manager of Shargh, a popular daily reformist newspaper shut down by the hardliners.

Shokoufeh Azar reformist journalist.

Jila Baniyaghoob prominent female journalist, working previously for many reformist newspapers; editor of the website Kannon-e Zanaan-e Irani (Center for Iranian Women); writing at http://irwomen.net; winner of numerous awards (released).

Behzad Basho cartoonist, arrested June 14.

Masoud Bastani journalist and husband of Mahsa Amrabadi. On 5 July when he asked authorities about the fate of his pregnant wife, he was also arrested. After his show trial, he was handed a sentence of several years in jail.

Misagh Bolhasani a poet publishing her work in dailies and other publications.

Alireza Eftekhari journalist working for Abrar, an economic daily; died from injuries sustained on 15 June at the hands of security forces.

Satiar Emami Photojournalist.

Mostafa Ghavanlou Qajar blogs at www.shajar.ir and contributor to the U.S.-funded Radio Farda.

Saeed Hajjarian leading reformist strategist; advisor to Mohammad Khatami during his presidency; editor-in-chief of Sobh-e Emrooz (this morning), a leading reformist newspaper shut down by the hardliners; member of the Central Committee of the reformist Islamic Iran Participation Front, Iran's largest political party; deputy Minister of Intelligence for counter-intelligence (1984-89); semi-paralyzed by an assassination attempt on his life in March 2000; recently released after receiving a suspended five-year sentence following a televised show trial.

Mir-Hamid Hassanzadeh formerly with ISNA, the Iranian Student News Agency (ISNA) and director of Ghalam News website, close to Mir-Hossein Mousavi; arrested August 5.

Hadi Haydari cartoonist and member of the public relations department of the Islamic Iran Participation Front.

Mashallah Haydarzadeh a journalist active in southern Iran; arrested June 14.

Arash Hejazi writer and publisher (tried and sentenced to several months in jail).

Alireza Hosseini Beheshti Editor-in-Chief of Kalameh Sabz (green word), the daily mouthpiece of Mir Hossein Mousavi. The daily was closed after the rigged election (since released).

Kouroush Javan photojournalist.

Hamzeh Karami reformist journalist.

Mohammad Reza Khatami younger brother of the former president; a medical doctor (nephrologist); former deputy Health Minister for two years; one of the founders of the Islamic Iran Participation Front in 1998, its first Secretary-General, and currently a member of its central committee; a faculty member at Tehran University of Medical Sciences; elected in March 2000 to the 6th Majles as the first Tehran deputy with 1,794,365 votes; managing editor of the now-banned reformist daily Mosharekat [participation], the mouthpiece of the IIPF; married to Zahra Eshraghi, granddaughter of Ayatollah Khomeini and an activist in women's rights (released later).

Mehdi Khazali publisher of Hayyan; son of prominent conservative cleric, Ayatollah Abolghasem Khazali.

Ebrahim Khoshchehreh journalist close to the Nationalist-Religious Coalition, active in Lahijan (in northern Iran); arrested June 21.

Saeed Leylaaz Economic advisor to the Khatami administration; journalist; strong critic of Ahmadinejad's economic policies.

Hassan Maadikhah director of the Zarreh Publication and son of Abdol-Majid Maadikhah, the former Minister of Cultural and Islamic Guidance.

Hamideh Mahhozi a reformist journalist active in southern Iran.

Javad Mahzadeh reformist journalist.

Rajabali Mazrouiee head of the Journalists Association; reformist Majles (parliament) deputy in the 6th Majles (2000-2004); economic editor of Salaam (1991-1999), the popular reformist daily that was closed by the hardliners in 1999; arrested on 20 June (released later).

Seyyed Khalil Mir Ashrafi a television producer and journalist, arrested June 14.

Mohsen Mirdamadi Secretary-General of the Islamic Iran Participation Front; chairman of the 6th Majles Committee on National Security; one of the three principal leaders of US Embassy takeover in 1979; editor of Norooz, the mouthpiece of IIPF, which was closed by the hardliners; arrested June 14.

Saeed Movahedi freelance photojournalist; arrested July 9.

Mohammad Hossein Naeimipour blogged at www.mowj.ir; leader of Pouyesh-e Sabz (Green Wave), a youth organization supporting Mohammad Khatami and Mir Hossein Mousavi; son of Mohammad Naeimipour, the prominent reformist journalist.

Shiva Nazari Ahari blogged at http://azadiezan.blogspot.com; member of the Reporters of Human Rights Committee; arrested June 13.

Behanam Nikzad journalist arrested on November 4.

Kambiz Norouzi Secretary of the Legal Committee of the Iranian Journalists Association.

Mohammad Reza Nourabakhsh editor of the daily Farhikhtegan (the intellectual elites); recently closed by the hardliners.

Hossein Nouraninejad runs the blog, haboot-e natamam; director of Mir Hossein Mousavi's campaign in western Tehran; a leading member of the reformist Islamic Iran Participation Front.

Fariba Pajooh journalist covering national politics and foreign policy for major Iranian news agencies and newspapers since 1999, including dailies such as Shargh, Etemad Melli, Ham Mihan (all closed by the hardliners), Iran, Aftab Yazd, and Seda-ye Edalat; Shahr news agency, the Iranian Labor News Agency, the Iranian Student News Agency; and Gozaresh, a monthly magazine.

Ali Pirhosseinlou blogger for Norooz, the website of the reformist Islamic Iran Participation Front; arrested together with his wife (released after 50 days in jail).

Farhad Pouladi journalist working for AFP; arrested November 4 (reportedly released).

Mojtaba Pourmohsen editor of Gilaan-e Emrooz (Today's Gilaan); Gilaan is a province in northern Iran by the Caspian Sea; contributor to Radio Zamaneh (a Persian radio station based in the Netherlands) from Rasht (Gilaan's provincial capital); arrested June 15.

Mohammad Qoochani prominent reformist journalist, editor of many reformist newspapers shut down by the hardliners (e.g., Shargh [east]; Hammihan [compatriot], and the weekly, Shahrvand Emrooz [today's citizen]); editor of Etemaad-e Melli; son-in-law of Emad Baghi, the prominent journalist and human rights advocate (released recently).

Taghi Rahmani close to the Nationalist-Religious Coalitions; has spent 14 years in jail over the past 30 years; husband of Narges Mohammadi, a prominent human rights advocate; arrested June 13 (and later released).

Hoda Saber close to the Nationalist-Religious Coalition; jailed numerous times; arrested June 13 (released later).

Shadi Sadr journalist and human rights advocate (released later).

Eisa Saharkhiz an outspoken journalist critic of the Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei; contributor to www.roozonline.com; in charge of the domestic press during the first two years of Khatami's presidency, a period when the Iranian press blossomed; arrested July 5.

Majid Saidi Photojournalist

Kayvan Samimi Behbahani Managing editor of Naameh (Letter), a monthly publication, close to the Nationalist-Religious Coalition. Naameh was also closed.

Negar Sayeh journalist

Hengameh Shahidi journalist for Etemaad-e Melli and advisor to Karroubi; went on a hunger strike in jail (released recently; currently on trial).

Ruhollah Shahsavar a journalist in Mashhad (in northeastern Iran); arrested June 17.

Saeed Shariti the editor of the news website Nooroz, the official site of the reformist Islamic Iran Participation Front, the largest political party in Iran.

Mehdi Shirzad blogger; son of Dr. Ahmad Shirzad, a leading member of Islamic Iran Participation Front, and a critic of Ahmadinejad's nuclear policy.

Amanollah Shojaei a blogger living in Bushehr, in southern Iran; arrested June 14.

Hossein Shokouhi reporter and journalist writing for Payaam-e Jonoob (the Message of the South), in southern Iran.

Fariborz Soroush freelance journalist who worked for US-funded Radio Farda; imprisoned in the past for his work for Radio Farda; arrested in Karaj, a town 40 km west of Tehran.

Abdolreza Tajik political activist, economist, and close to the Freedom Movement of Iran and the Nationalist-Religious Coalition; has worked for many reformist newspapers, including Bahar (closed in 2001), Hambastegi (closed in 2003) and Shargh (closed in 2008); arrested June 14 at the headquarters of the daily Farhikhtegan (the intellectual elites). (released)

Mostafa Tajzadeh Deupty Interior Minister in the first Khatami administration; supervised elections for the first city councils and the 6th Majles, praised for its even-handedness and transparency; member of the Central Committees of both the Islamic Iran Participation Front and the Islamic Revolution Mojahedin Organization; outspoken critic of the hardliners; contributor to many reformist newspapers and websites; arrested June 14.

Mojtaba Tehrani Journalist at Etemaad-e Melli daily, arrested 29 June.

Somayyeh Tohidloo blogger at http://smto.ir ; political activist; sociologist; supporter of Mir Hossein Mousavi.

Mehdi Yazdani Khorram an editor at Etemaad-e Melli, arrested 5 August.

Mohammad Reza Yazdanpanah journalist and blogger, arrested 7 July.

Mehdi Zaboli is a photographer.

Ali Zare is photojournalist for the daily Hamshahri.

Nafiseh Zare Kohan is a blogger who worked for many reformist newspapers; arrested 4 November together with her husband Hojjat Sharifi.

Ahmad Zaydabadi distinguished journalist writing for roozonline.com and print media in Iran; Secretary General of the Organization of University Graduates of Islamic Iran (known in Iran as Advaar-e Tahkim); a supporter of Karroubi and close to the Nationalist-Religious Coalition. According to his wife Mahdiyeh Mohammadi, he has been kept in solitary confinement for so long that at one point he came close to committing suicide. He is said to be under incredible pressure to apologize to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei for writing an open letter criticizing the Supreme Leader.

In addition, Maziar Bahari, the Iranian-Canadian journalist and a correspondent for Newsweek in Iran, was arrested on 22 June. He was released on bail on October 17 and was allowed to leave Iran.

Foreign journalists have also not escaped the wrath of the hardliners. Two Dutch TV journalists working for Nederland 2 were arrested and expelled. Reporter Yolanda Alvarez of the Spanish television station TVE was deported together with her crew. Jon Leyne of the BBC was also expelled. A Danish journalism student, Niels Krogsgaard, 31, has been the latest foreigner targeted. He was reported missing on Wednesday, 4 November after attending a rally making the 30th anniversary of the US Embassy takeover.

Afghanistan: A US-Pakistan Deal? Karzai Stays, Talks with the Taliban

The US in Afghanistan: “The Long War” Still Waits for a Strategy

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Syed Saleem Shahzad, using Pakistani sources, has written an article with dramatic allegations in the Asia Times. Shahzad claims that the US, through Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and the Pakistan military cut a deal to "resolve" the post-election Afghanistan situation: challenger Abdullah Abdullah would withdraw, allowing Hamid Karzai to serve another term, and negotiations would begin with the Taliban:

Abdullah Abdullah, who this week withdrew from the presidential election runoff in Afghanistan, thereby handing victory to the incumbent, Hamid Karzai, did so under pressure from the United States, Asia Times Online has learned.

In exchange for the pullout of the non-Pashtun Abdullah, Pakistan's military has agreed to actively mediate between Washington and the Taliban over a reconciliation plan that will allow the US to exit from Afghanistan, as it is doing in Iraq, with a semblance of success.

A senior Pakistani diplomat involved in backchannel negotiations on Pakistan, Afghanistan and US relations told Asia Times Online on the condition of anonymity that the deal over Abdullah, whom Islamabad considers to be pro-India, was made during the three-day visit to Pakistan last week of US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.



Apart from other senior officials, Clinton met with the chief of army staff, General Ashfaq Parvez Kiani, and the director general of Inter-Services Intelligence, Lieutenant General Ahmad Shuja Pasha. It was agreed that all US-led negotiations with Abdullah, which included offering him the position of chief executive officer of Afghanistan, would stop, and Karzai would get full backing for a second five-year term.

It was also acknowledged that Washington's political leadership, like the Pentagon, now accepts that the Taliban-led insurgency in Afghanistan is best tackled with contact between the Pakistan armed forces and the Taliban, and not by the political governments of the region.

Clinton's visit came at a crucial time as Pakistan is engaged in a battle against the Pakistani Taliban and other militants; if it fails, there will be a cascading effect in the whole region and a sure defeat of American interests in Afghanistan.

In this context, Clinton supported Pakistan's vision of Afghanistan, that Abdullah's participation as a major player in the government would be detrimental to the cause of dialogue with the Taliban. Clinton also played a major role in India's decision to pull out its forces from the Pakistan-India border near Kashmir. This allows the Pakistan army to concentrate on its fight against al-Qaeda in the Pakistani tribal areas. The army assured Clinton it would broaden this fight in the coming months.

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