This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It will not be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/world/south_asia/7839265.stm

The article has changed 5 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 0 Version 1
Petraeus holds key Pakistan talks US 'agrees Afghan supply route'
(about 4 hours later)
The chief of the US Central Command has arrived in Pakistan for key talks just hours before the inauguration as US president of Barack Obama. The US says a new supply path to Afghanistan has been agreed with Central Asian states and Russia as an option to the troubled Pakistan route.
Gen David Petraeus, who is holding talks with President Asif Ali Zardari, is a key advocate of a major US troop surge in neighbouring Afghanistan. US Central Command chief Gen David Petraeus made the announcement on a visit to Islamabad.
The visit also comes at a time when ties between Pakistan and India are strained after the attacks in Mumbai. The route through the Khyber Pass has come under attack from militants in recent months, sparking closures.
Gen Petraeus is also due to meet PM Yousuf Raza Gilani on the day trip. Gen David Petraeus has met President Asif Ali Zardari and other leading figures on his one-day trip.
As well as the tension between India and Pakistan and the troop surge in Afghanistan, Gen Petraeus was expected to discuss the situation in Pakistan's tribal border region. The visit comes after a week-long tour of Central Asian states.
The border area is the scene of a number of recent US drone attacks on targets inside Pakistan that have caused widespread anger in the region and among Pakistani politicians. Public anger
Militant activity has also threatened the major supply route through the Khyber Pass for US and Nato forces in Afghanistan. Gen Petraeus said the Pakistan route had been flowing "generally freely" in recent weeks but that the US and Nato had sought "additional logistical routes from the north".
Gen Petraeus has arrived from a week-long tour of Central Asian states where he was thought to be investigating an alternative supply route. He added: "There have been agreements reached and there are transit lines now and transit agreements for commercial goods and services in particular that include several countries in the Central Asian states and also Russia."
'Counter-productive' The BBC's Barbara Plett in Islamabad says the announcement will be a concern for Islamabad.
US embassy spokesman Lou Fintor would only say that in Pakistan Gen Petraeus would hold "scheduled meetings with senior civilian and military government officials on issues of joint concern". Raids on trucks supplying Afghanistan have been a major concern
Attacks on vehicles supplying Afghanistan will be on the agenda Our correspondent says reports from the meetings also suggest that Pakistan expressed concern about US missile strikes against suspected Taleban and al-Qaeda militants in its border region.
Islamabad says this triggers public anger, which undermines its own counter-terrorism efforts.
Our correspondent says there has been no formal indication that this policy might change under the new US administration, although a senior official of Barack Obama's Democratic party has questioned whether it is counterproductive.
At his press conference, Gen Petraeus said the US would continue to help Pakistan tackle terrorism and militancy in the tribal areas.
"It is clearly in the interest of all countries involved that Pakistan succeed in dealing with its internal problems," he said.
Pakistan's actions and arrests following the Mumbai attacks were also discussed.
The general said the US and the international community would continue to support Pakistan, but Pakistan must also put its house in order on the issue of militants.
'Risky'
Gen Petraeus is a key advocate of a major US troop surge in Afghanistan.
The US has said it is sending up to 30,000 new troops to Afghanistan this year to take on a resurgent Taleban. They will join 33,000 US and 32,000 other Nato troops already in the country.The US has said it is sending up to 30,000 new troops to Afghanistan this year to take on a resurgent Taleban. They will join 33,000 US and 32,000 other Nato troops already in the country.
This is Gen Petraeus's second visit to Pakistan since taking up his new position.This is Gen Petraeus's second visit to Pakistan since taking up his new position.
In November, he met Pakistan's army chief and prime minister and said he would consider Pakistani criticism of US missile strikes on Pakistani territory. He was until recently commander of the US military in Iraq.
Pakistan says the missile strikes are "counter-productive" and detrimental to the so-called "war on terror".
Gen Petraeus was until recently commander of the US military in Iraq.
He was widely credited with improving security there through the "surge" plan, which saw nearly 30,000 US troops deployed to trouble-spots.He was widely credited with improving security there through the "surge" plan, which saw nearly 30,000 US troops deployed to trouble-spots.
However, Afghanistan's ambassador to the US, Said Jawad, recently said a plan similar to the one in Iraq that formed local tribal groups to help combat the insurgency was "very risky".However, Afghanistan's ambassador to the US, Said Jawad, recently said a plan similar to the one in Iraq that formed local tribal groups to help combat the insurgency was "very risky".