against Taleban

Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf has pulled out of a peace assembly in Afghanistan designed to unite local leaders in the fight against Taleban militants.

A Pakistani Foreign Ministry statement said General Musharraf telephoned Afghan President Hamid Karzai on Wednesday, saying engagements in Islamabad would keep him from attending the tribal council (jirga). Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz will take General Musharraf's place.

The Afghan ambassador to the U.S., Said Tayeb Jawad, told VOA that President Karzai tried to persuade President Musharraf to change his mind. The United States is also making an appeal. U.S. officials say they have been in touch with Pakistani authorities to discuss whether the president might still attend part of the