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US envoy pressures Russia on Northern Alliance support
The US coordinator on Afghanistan Richard Haass met top Russian officials today for sensitive talks in which he was set to pressure Moscow into breaking its close links to the opposition Northern Alliance.
The US coordinator on Afghanistan Richard Haass met top Russian officials today for sensitive talks in which he was set to pressure Moscow into breaking its close links to the opposition Northern Alliance.
US and Russian officials said Haass would meet deputy foreign minister Alexei Meshkov and other Russian foreign policy planners before leaving Moscow on Saturday.
The press was barred from the delicate talks, which were also expected to pave the way for a first official visit by US Secretary of State Colin Powell tentatively scheduled for December 9-10.
Russia has made no secret of its support for the Northern Alliance and has taken steps to be one of the first nations to re-open its Kabul embassy after the fall there of the Taliban. The US, however, has sought Russia and some other regional powers to withdraw their unilateral support for the minority opposition force as tense talks continue in Germany over the future makeup of a post-Taliban government in Afghanistan.
Russia's foreign ministry on Thursday, however, reaffirmed its stand that the Alliance and former President Burhanuddin Rabbani, who is still recognized by the United Nations, represented one of the important factors in regulating the Afghan conflict.
The ministry added that the United States had only refused to proclaim support for Rabbani because Washington had weaker ties with, and as a result a poorer understanding of the Northern Alliance.
Bureau Report
The press was barred from the delicate talks, which were also expected to pave the way for a first official visit by US Secretary of State Colin Powell tentatively scheduled for December 9-10.
Russia has made no secret of its support for the Northern Alliance and has taken steps to be one of the first nations to re-open its Kabul embassy after the fall there of the Taliban. The US, however, has sought Russia and some other regional powers to withdraw their unilateral support for the minority opposition force as tense talks continue in Germany over the future makeup of a post-Taliban government in Afghanistan.
Russia's foreign ministry on Thursday, however, reaffirmed its stand that the Alliance and former President Burhanuddin Rabbani, who is still recognized by the United Nations, represented one of the important factors in regulating the Afghan conflict.
The ministry added that the United States had only refused to proclaim support for Rabbani because Washington had weaker ties with, and as a result a poorer understanding of the Northern Alliance.
Bureau Report