Pak, Afghan Presidents to meet Obama on Wednesday

The trilateral summit of US, Pakistan and Afghanistan this week would help in establishing a working equation between the three Presidents for better coordination and united fight against terrorism emanating from the two Asian countries.  

The summit, the first under the Obama administration, is considered to be a crucial element in the US' 'war against terror' in the region, especially in Afghanistan where the US is sending thousands of troops this summer to fight the Taliban.  

Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari and his Afghan counterpart Hamid Karzai will arrive here tomorrow to take part in the summit to be held on May 6 and 7.  

Both Zardari and Karzai are leading a high-power delegation from their respective countries. However, Pak Army Chief General Ashfaq Pervez Kayani will not accompany the President in view of the "alarming security situation" in the country.  

 

Pakistan Army is involved in military operations against the Taliban.  

On Wednesday, Obama would be meeting Karzai and Zardari separately following which the US President would head towards the tri-lateral meeting with both the leaders.  

US officials hope the trilateral summit would help in establishing a working equation between the three presidents that would result in better coordination and united fight against the terrorist in the Af-Pak region.

A series of tri-lateral meetings have been scheduled for Thursday at the ministerial level on key issues - foreign policy, security, intelligence sharing, transit and finance and agriculture.  

It is expected that at the end of these meetings, there could be either memorandum of understandings of issuing if bilateral/trilateral statements on specific issue depending on the outcome of the meetings.  

For Zardari, the meeting comes at a time when his stakes are not very high in the Obama Administration, an indication of which came from the President himself last week when he characterised the Government headed by Zardari as "fragile" and unable to deliver the goods and services to the people of Pakistan.  

However, for Karzai, who started on a weak footing in the Obama Administration amidst speculation that there were sharp differences between him and Obama, the current-trip by the Afghan President is seen by many as an indication of him gaining strength and recognition in the new Democratic government, which initially was a bit hostile to him.