U.S. Speaker Meets With Troops In Afghanistan

U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (left) meets with Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki (right) in Baghdad on January 26 (RFE/RL) January 28, 2007 -- The new leader of the U.S. House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, had breakfast today with soldiers from California and met briefly with top military leaders at the largest U.S. base in Afghanistan.

Pelosi and her congressional delegation stopped at the U.S. base in Bagram where she thanked soldiers for their service. She also met briefly with General Benjamin Freakley, the top U.S. general in Afghanistan.

Pelosi and her delegation later met President Hamid Karzai. Nothing about the talks was disclosed.

The trip to Afghanistan follows a stopover in Pakistan yesterday, where Pelosi met with President Pervez Musharraf to discuss the situation in Afghanistan and cooperation in countering terrorism.

A statement from Pakistan's Foreign Ministry said the U.S. delegation "lauded Pakistan's role in the war against terrorism."

Pelosi's delegation earlier visited Iraq.

(AP)

The Proliferation Threat

The Arak heavy-water plant in central Iran (Fars)

BENDING THE RULES. Henry Sokolski, executive director of the Nonproliferation Policy Education Center, told an RFE/RL-Radio Free Asia briefing on January 9 that the West is hamstrung in dealing with Iran and North Korea because of the way it has interpreted the international nonproliferation regime to benefit friendly countries like India and Japan.