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[Sens. Lieberman and McCain are salivating over the prospect of reprising their imperial visit to Baghdad, Bogota and heaven knows where else in the imminent future. Maybe they should check out Pristina while they're at it.] Nine U.S. Senators Meet With Karzai By Karen Sloan Associated Press Writer Monday, January 7, 2002; 7:12 PM BAGRAM AIR BASE, Afghanistan –– A delegation of nine U.S. senators met Monday night with Afghanistan's new interim prime minister, vowing to participate in the country's long-term reconstruction. The two sides discussed the continued threat posed by the Taliban and Osama bin Laden's al-Qaida network and reconstruction of the country's infrastructure, Afghan Foreign Ministry spokesman Omar Samad said. After meeting with interim Prime Minister Hamid Karzai, Sen. Joseph Lieberman, who is leading the delegation along with Sen. John McCain, promised continued U.S. involvement in Afghanistan. "On our part it is very critical that we remain here. I think we learned at a very high and painful price the cost of a lack of involvement in Central Asia on September 11th – and we're not going to let it happen again," said Lieberman, D-Conn. "We're not going to repeat the mistake that was made when the Soviets were pushed out of here and the rest of the world essentially walked away." The senators, touring South and Central Asia, arrived at Bagram Air Base for a stopover visit expected to last less than three hours. Karzai arrived in a 10-car convoy with Afghan bodyguards and Defense Minister Mohammad Qasim Fahim, Foreign Minister Abdullah and Women's Affairs Minister Sima Samar. Other topics discussed included law and order concerns, cooperation among Afghanistan's divisive factions, education of women, the country's economic prospects and regional relationships. The senators left Washington on Thursday for a trip that included scheduled stops in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Oman, Turkey and possibly India. They were also expected to visit U.S. troops in the Persian Gulf. It is the first delegation of American senators to visit Afghanistan since U.S. military operations began in October against the Taliban and Osama bin Laden's al-Qaida network, which is suspected of orchestrating the Sept. 11 U.S. terrorist attacks. Other members of the delegation are Chuck Hagel, R-Neb., Jack Reed, D-R.I., Susan Collins, R-Maine, Jean Carnahan, D-Mo., John Edwards, D-N.C. and Bill Nelson, D-Fla. __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Send FREE video emails in Yahoo! Mail! http://promo.yahoo.com/videomail/ ==^================================================================ This email was sent to: archive@jab.org EASY UNSUBSCRIBE click here: http://topica.com/u/?a84x2u.a9WB2D Or send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] T O P I C A -- Register now to manage your mail! http://www.topica.com/partner/tag02/register ==^================================================================
