US Two senators call for tough line with Pakistan

The comments by Sens. Jon Kyl, an Arizona Republican, and Dick Durbin, an Illinois Democrat, show how strained Pakistan’s relationship with the US, and Congress specifically, has become in recent months.

Lawmakers approve billions of dollars in military and civilian aid for Pakistan with the expectation that its government will help target al-Qaida operatives and push Afghan militants toward peace talks
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”There’s a lot of diplomacy that has to occur and it has to be tough diplomacy in the sense that they need to understand that our support for them financially is dependent upon their cooperation with us,” said Kyl, the Senate’s No. 2 Republican.

Durbin, the second-ranking Senate Democrat, said Pakistan’s latest move is further evidence that the US must end its military involvement in the region and bring troops home.

”As difficult as it is to fight our way thru this diplomatic morass between the incompetence and maybe corruption of Afghanistan and the complicity in parts of Pakistan, our soldiers are caught right in the middle of this at a time they are trying to bring peace to the region,” Durbin said.

Nato says it is investigating its likely involvement in Saturday’s attack, which killed 24 Pakistani troops along the Afghan border. Afghan officials say their soldiers called for help after being fired upon from the direction of Pakistani border posts.

Outraged by the attacks and claiming they were unprovoked, Islamabad swiftly closed its border to trucks delivering supplies to coalition troops in Afghanistan and demanded the US vacate within 15 days a base used by American drones.

The blockade is guaranteed to frustrate Congress, already incensed that Pakistan never tipped off the US to Osama bin Laden’s hideout within its borders.

While calling for tougher diplomacy with Pakistan, Kyl said he would stop short of cutting off US aid entirely to Pakistan. He said that severing ties in the past has only led to an increased influence of Islamic extremists among Pakistan’s military ranks.

”It’s very important to maintain the relationship for the long haul,” he said, without offering more specifics on how that might be done.

Egypt’s military appoints former PM to lead 'national salvation' government

Egypt's ruling military council has appointed former prime minister Kamal al-Ganzouri to lead a national salvation government, and said elections would go ahead on November 28 as planned.That development comes few days after former Prime Minister Essam Sharaf and his government stepped down.
Ganzouri was Egypt's prime minister between 1996 and 1999 under President Hosni Mubarak and enjoyed huge popularity and prestige.
He met Thursday with Field Marshal Mohamed Hussein Tantawi,the head of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, according to the state-run MENA news agency. Ganzouri would remain prime minister until at least January 10, when results of the parliamentary elections set to start next week are finalized.
State newspaper Al-Ahram said on its website that Kamal Ganzouri accepted a request from the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces to form a new government on Thursday.
On Friday, the United States and European Union called for a quick transfer of power to a civilian government in Egypt.EU foreign policy spokeswoman Maja Kocijancic said that the European Union condemns "excessive violence" against protesters and we expect an independent investigation into the events in Cairo after killing of over 40 protesters by Egyptian security forces and police.
Meanwhile, tens of thousands of Egyptians demonstrators in Cairo's Tharir Square rejected Ganzouri's appointment. They claim he is part of the Mubarak regime.protesters are chanting, "Leave, leave!" in what promises to be a massive demonstration to force Egypt's ruling military council to yield power.

Egypt Military apologises for protest deaths

Egypt's ruling military has apologised for the deaths of about 38 protesters in clashes with police, as protests continue in Cairo and other cities.
The Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (Scaf) said it regretted "the deaths of martyrs from among Egypt's loyal sons".
The violence, which began on Saturday, is the worst since President Hosni Mubarak was ousted in February.
Scaf also said elections would start as scheduled on Monday. There had been speculation that they might be delayed.
In an announcement on Thursday, council member Maj Gen Mukhtar al-Mouallah said the parliamentary elections would be held on schedule. A presidential poll is to take place by June next year.
He said those responsible for deaths and injuries would be held to account, and that protesters arrested since Saturday would be released immediately.
Compensation would be paid to the families of the dead, Gen Mouallah added.
Continue reading the main story
At the scene
For some days, doctors and protesters have claimed that a new type of tear gas, or nerve agent, is being used against demonstrators.
One theory is that security forces have been using CR gas, or CN gas, much stronger than the usual CS gas, commonly known as tear gas. CR gas is banned in the US because it can cause cancer.
So far no evidence has been produced to back up that claim.
On Tahrir Square, protesters regularly assail you with used cans of tear gas, complaining they are made in the United States.
None of the cans we saw had evidence they were the more poisonous CR or CN gas.
What is certainly true is that tear gas is being used in much greater quantities than earlier this year, over a prolonged period of time, within the relatively narrow confines of one street on the edge of the square.
In a city prone at the best of times to be rapidly swept by rumours, that seems to be the only firm fact that can be definitively established in this story at the moment.
Late on Wednesday, two members of the council appeared on state TV to offer "condolences to the entire Egyptian people".
One of them, Maj Gen Muhammad al-Assar, extended "the regret and apology of the entire armed forces on the tragedy that occurred".
He added: "Our hearts bled for what happened. We hope that this crisis will end and, God willing, it will not be repeated again."
The generals urged Egyptians not to compare them to the former regime of Mr Mubarak, insisting they were not seeking to cling to power.
The generals' tone was completely different from the fairly confrontational address by the head of the ruling military council, Field Marshal Mohamed Hussein Tantawi, on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, public opinion is divided on the forthcoming parliamentary elections, writes the BBC's Jeremy Bowen.
Some Egyptians want them to go ahead unhindered, while others believe the military must be swept from power first.
The main opposition group, the Muslim Brotherhood, is not supporting the protests and expects to do well in the elections.
Witnesses said that two groups were chanting against other in Tahrir Square on Thursday - one saying "Muslim Brotherhood, we don't want you in the square" and the other responding with a call for unity.
Street battles continued late into Wednesday night. They were heaviest around the fortified interior ministry off Tahrir Square in Cairo.