Pakistan for cooperation with Russia & China in Afghanistan Reconstruction

[The Straight Story]

PAKISTAN COMES OUT FOR COOPERATION WITH RUSSIA AND CHINA IN AFGHANISTAN'S RECONSTRUCTION

MOSCOW, December 16 (RIA Novosti) - Pakistan comes out for cooperation with Russia and China in the reconstruction of Afghanistan's economy, Pakistan's Ambassador to the Russian Federation Syed Iftikhar Murshed said at a RIA Novosti press conference on Thursday.

"Russia was the first to start building up the industry of Afghanistan, whereas Pakistan speaks the same language as Afghanistan and has a huge experience of cooperation with the latter," the ambassador said adding that Afghanistan needed China's capital to revive its economy.

Therefore, it would be expedient to start trilateral cooperation between Russia, Pakistan and China for Afghanistan's revival, the diplomat believes.

http://en.rian.ru/rian/index.cfm?prd_id=160&msg_id=5219331&startrow=11&date=2004-12-16&do_alert=0

[amandabeech]

1. So the gas and oil pipelines through Afghanistan to the Indian Ocean

are on, only with Russian and Chinese companies doing the finance and construction? I guess that means that the Afghan war was in vain.

It really sounds like Pakistan is backing away from the U.S. First, there are reports that we are not allowed hot pursuit of Bin Laden/Al Quaeda into Pakistan without Pakistanis who slow and distract the pursuers, and now, Pakistan is encouraging Russian and Chinese investment in the area.

After the election, perhaps fraudulent, of * to another term, it seems as though many major countries suddenly entered into agreements with with each other for energy and food. China engages Iran, Russia, Venezuela and Brazil for energy, and Brazil and Argentina for food. The Russians and the Indians are buddies again for energy and defense. Need I go on?

This autumn when * and Israel were beating the war drums for an attack on Iranian nuclear sites, I read an article in one of the Pakistani newspapers stating that Pakistan would retaliate if Iran were hit by a nuclear weapon. I considered it a threat to the Israelis. If the story was true, it, combined with this latest pronouncement from the Pakistani ambassador to Russia, makes me think that the threats on another Islamic country are driving Pakistan away from us, thus hindering our ability to track Bin Laden.