Afghanistan: Pakistan leader pledges support for government

The president of Pakistan on Tuesday came to Afghanistan for the first time and pledged “brotherly” support for a war-ravaged neighbor. His Afghan counterpart promised to consider freeing young Pakistanis who rushed to the defense of the old Taliban regime.

“Pakistan has only one aim, to assist Afghanistan,” President Pervez Musharraf of Pakistan declared at a joint news conference with Hamid Karzai. “Our plan is his plan,” he said of the interim prime minister.

The two men’s warm, friendly public session came just months after Musharraf made a dramatic about-face and threw Pakistan’s support behind the U.S.-led anti-Taliban war. For years, Pakistan had backed the Taliban.

The Afghan leader described Musharraf’s visit as a day “I personally was awaiting a long, long time.”

Chicago: Farrakhan hopes to aid peace process

Louis Farrakhan said Tuesday that he planned to visit Israel next month to try to ease the violence by meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat.

“The Palestinians and Israelis are at a point where they themselves cannot find a solution to this problem,” the Nation of Islam leader said during a news conference at the Mosque Maryam. “I believe I can be of help. If we fail, at least we have tried. …

“This course that Mr. Sharon is on, that is backed by our government, is sheer madness. It can be stopped, but there has to be a reversal of this course.”

Farrakhan was vague about the trip, saying only that he and a group of religious leaders hoped to meet with Sharon and Arafat, as well as leaders of Hamas and Hezbollah. Farrakhan said he has not yet informed U.S. officials of his plans.