Obama to host Zardari, Karzai in May: US

WASHINGTON US President Barack Obama has invited his counterparts from Pakistan and Afghanistan to the White House early next month to remove misunderstandings between the two neighboring countries, a US official told reporters on Wednesday.The May 6-7 talks will elevate to summit level a trilateral exchange begun by the Obama administration in late February. Presidents Asif Ali Zardari and Hamid Karzai will meet Mr Obama separately before the three sit down together, the official said.The summit, first reported by Dawn on April 14, was initially denied by both the White House and the State Department but on Wednesday a senior US official told reporters that the second round of trilateral talks in Washington had been elevated to the summit level.The Afghan and Pakistani foreign ministers, who led their countries’ delegation in the February meeting, will also attend the summit along with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.President Obama’s special envoy for Pakistan and Afghanistan Richard Holbrooke will also participate in these talks.US officials said the Obama administration considers cooperation between the two key allies in the fight against extremists crucial to the success of its new strategy for the region.