No interest in Karzai cabinet, says Abdullah

KABUL: Technocrats and some existing ministers will be part of Afghan President Hamid Karzai’s new government within the next three weeks, a spokesman said on Wednesday, but his main rival ruled out taking any part. “I have no interest in the future cabinet of Karzai’s government and I will pursue my agenda, which is change,” Abdullah Abdullah told a news conference at his Kabul home. Abdullah branded the government-appointed Independent Election Commission (IEC) decision to cancel the November 7 runoff as illegal and said Karzai would not be able to deliver on promises of reform.

Afghan cop kills five British soldiers

LONDON: An Afghan policeman shot dead five British soldiers at a checkpoint in southern Afghanistan, the Defence Ministry in London said on Wednesday. The gunman opened fire at a military compound in Helmand province on Tuesday. British soldiers returned fire, but the policeman escaped and is still at large, a Defence Ministry spokeswoman said. An investigation into the shooting incident is under way.

‘Include Israel in W Asia peace talks’

Cairo: US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Wednesday assured a concerned Arab world that the US does not accept the legitimacy of the West Bank enclaves constructed by Israel and the disputed city Jerusalem must be a part of peace negotiations with the Palestinians. US wants the Israeli construction being halted “forever”, Hillary said.

US officials meet Myanmar’s Suu Kyi

YANGON: A US State Department official met Aung San Suu Kyi on Wednesday in a visit that marked the highest-ranking talks between an American and Myanmar’s detained opposition leader in 14 years. Assistant Secretary of State Kurt Campbell, the top US diplomat for East Asia, greeted Suu Kyi after she was driven to his lakeside hotel in Yangon where they met privately for two hours, said a spokesman. Campbell and his deputy, Scot Marciel, are the highest-level Americans to visit Myanmar since 1995

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