President Barack Obama is set to announce on Wednesday the first phase of a withdrawal from Afghanistan that could see up to 10,000 U.S. soldiers leave the country by the end of the year.
Defense officials have been quoted as saying that President Obama will call for an initial withdrawal of 5,000 troops, followed by an additional 5,000 by the end of 2011.
But White House Spokesman Jay Carney warned against media speculation on Tuesday, saying the president will explain how he will implement the strategy he outlined in December 2009 on drawing down American troops.
Obama announced the July start for the withdrawal in December 2009, when he presented his overall strategy for Afghanistan at the U.S. military academy at West Point, New York.
In his Wednesday night speech at the White House, President Obama is also expected to reaffirm the U.S. and NATO commitment to completely transfer security responsibilities to Afghan forces by 2014. The United States currently has about 100,000 troops in Afghanistan.
U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Tuesday the president has to take into account sustainability at home, both in Congress and among the American public, as well as conditions on the ground in Afghanistan.
Gates acknowledged concerns in the United States about Afghanistan, saying the American people are "tired of a decade of war." He noted there are "a lot of reservations" in Congress about the war and the level of U.S. commitment.
Gates spoke Tuesday at the State Department, before heading to the White House with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for consultations with the president about Afghanistan.
White House spokesman Carney said the president has remained focused on achieving his objectives in Afghanistan. He noted, however, that Obama's objectives there do not require defeating the Taliban, but rather "reversing the momentum," which he says the military has been achieving.
Some information for this report was provided by AP.
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NATO confirms that an unmanned helicopter drone was lost during a mission over Libya Tuesday, but denies claims that forces aligned with leader Moammar Gadhafi shot down an attack helicopter. The drone loss comes as the Alliance faces increasing pressures over the precision of its air attacks and alleged civilian deaths.
NATO spokesman Mike Bracken denied the claim by the Gadhafi government that it had shot down an attack helicopter, but confirmed that an unmanned drone was lost on Tuesday.
"At 0720 GMT, NATO received reports of an unmanned, autonomous helicopter drone, used by NATO forces, lost radar contact with the command center," Bracken announced. "This drone helicopter, unmanned, was performing intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance over Libya to monitor pro-Gadhafi forces threatening the civilian population."
Libyan government TV showed footage of what appeared to be a downed helicopter, including part of a rotor blade. The TV claimed that a NATO Apache attack helicopter had been shot down near the town of Zlitan, 135 kilometers east of Tripoli.
It was not the first time that Gadhafi's forces claimed to have downed an Apache helicopter. None of the previous five claims have proven to be true. The unmanned drone helicopter lost Tuesday is considerably smaller than an Apache.
It was not immediately clear what brought down the drone, but Gadhafi's forces have been active in the coastal town of Zlitan, as rebels attempt to push westward from Dafniya.
The Libyan has claimed twice in recent days that NATO airstrikes hit civilian targets, including a compound owned by one of Gadhafi's loyalists. NATO spokesman Bracken said on Tuesday that the compound was a "command and control node," with "17 satellite dishes on its roof."
George Joffe, a North Africa expert at King's College in London, says NATO allies are coming under increasing financial and political pressure to end the military operation in Libya quickly.
"Pressure is growing, certainly in the United States, after all the Obama administration now faces a possible censure in Congress, and in Europe there is growing anxiety about the resources available, particularly in Britain, where there has been complaints from the First Sea Lord, and also from the second in command of the Air Force, about the danger of overstretching very limited resources," Joffe said.
Still, Joffe does not believe that the loss of a drone helicopter will make much of a dent militarily.
"The Gadhafi regime will boast about it and say that they can beat NATO forces. It will certainly make the Obama administration less willing to increase its commitments to the NATO operation, but beyond that… it may just be a question of writing off a loss," Joffe said.
Britain, France, the United States and several other coalition partners began air operations over Libya in late March, under a United Nations Security Council resolution designed to protect Libyan civilians.
The Libyan government maintains NATO attacks have instead killed several dozen civilians - allegations NATO says, save for isolated instances, are false.
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U.S. first lady Michelle Obama addressed a women leaders' forum in Soweto, South Africa on Wednesday.
The U.S.-sponsored Young African Women Leaders Forum brings together women from across sub-Saharan Africa who are leading or involved in social and economic initiatives in their own countries.
Obama arrived in South Africa this week. On Tuesday, she met with 92-year-old anti-apartheid icon Nelson Mandela at his home in Johannesburg. The wife of U.S. President Barack Obama was accompanied by the couple's two daughters, Malia and Sasha, her mother Marian Robinson, and her niece and nephew.
Mandela has been restricted to his home since he was hospitalized with an acute respiratory infection in January. He rarely receives visitors.
Obama's trip to Africa is aimed at promoting youth empowerment and encouraging young Africans to take a leading role in helping to solve the continent's problems.
Her trip includes visits to Cape Town and Robben Island where Mandela was held for most of the 27 years he was imprisoned for leading the struggle against apartheid, a South African white minority government policy of racial separation.
Obama is traveling without President Obama.
After visiting South Africa, she will spend two days in neighboring Botswana, arriving there on Saturday.
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The U.S. Senate has confirmed Leon Panetta as defense secretary by a unanimous vote of 100 to nothing. The current director of the Central Intelligence Agency, Panetta will shift to the Pentagon, replacing outgoing Defense Secretary Robert Gates.
Panetta's already-impressive resume is about to get longer. The onetime congressman, White House chief of staff, and current CIA director will oversee the military as the United States winds down two wars and engages in a limited mission over Libya.
Ahead of Tuesday's vote, senators lined up to praise Panetta and endorse his nomination.
Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Carl Levin called him a "wise and solid" choice.
"Director Panetta has given decades of dedicated service to this nation, and we should all be grateful that he is once again willing to answer the call and take the helm of the Department of Defense. He is going to bring a reassuring level of continuity and in-depth experience. The Department of Defense will need Director Panetta's skill and wisdom to navigate the extraordinarily-complex set of challenges in the years ahead," Levin said.
The top Republican on the Armed Services Committee, John McCain, noted Panetta's vast experience in matters of state.
"Director Panetta has had an extraordinary career of public service. He served in the House of Representatives, representing his California district for eight terms. He served in the White House as President Clinton's chief of staff, and director of the Office of Management and Budget. Since 2009, he's been the director of the Central Intelligence Agency, strengthening that agency and forging positive relationships," McCain said.
At his confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill earlier this month, Panetta predicted Iraq will ask the United States to keep some American troops in the country beyond the end of this year. He endorsed a draw-down of U.S. forces in Afghanistan, but said reductions should be based on ground conditions there. He said Libyan Leader Moammar Gadhafi's grip on power is weakening, and described Pakistan as a critical, if frustrating U.S. ally.
Panetta takes over from Robert Gates, who is leaving the Pentagon after four-and-a-half years as defense secretary, spanning both the Bush and Obama administrations. Senators also lauded Gates for having overseen U.S. efforts to stabilize Iraq, refocused the U.S. campaign against the Taliban in Afghanistan, and initiated a restructuring of the massive Pentagon budget.
Senator McCain described Gates as one of America's greatest secretaries of defense. Speaking of Panetta's task in replacing Gates, Democratic Senator Richard Durbin of Illinois put it this way:
"Big shoes to fill. Secretary Gates has had a remarkable term as secretary, and a remarkable career in public service," Durbin said.
President Barack Obama's pick to replace Panetta at the CIA is General David Petraeus, who has commanded in both Iraq and Afghanistan. Petraeus is also expected to be confirmed by an overwhelming vote.
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Libya National Transitional Council Chairman Mahmud Jibril arrived in Beijing at noon Tuesday for two days of talks with anxious Chinese leaders keen to see an end to the bloody conflict.
Beijing has important economic interests in the North African state, including much needed oil that helps keep China's economic boom going.
Jibril is expected to meet with China's Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi, although the foreign ministry released few details ahead of their talks.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei told journalists Tuesday that China views the National Transitional Council as an important political force in domestic Libyan politics.
Hong says China wishes to maintain contact with all parties and wants to help look for a political solution to the Libyan crisis.
He says China supports the United Nations' diplomatic efforts to negotiate with both sides directly, so as to convince them to act in the best interests of the Libyan people.
Chinese analysts quoted in official state media suggest that the country is keen to establish a bigger diplomatic role in a post-conflict Libya.
Beijing has been involved in several rounds of shuttle diplomacy with Libya's fighting factions and has met twice with NTC head Mustapha Abdul-Jalil.
Earlier this month Libyan Foreign Minister Abdelati al-Obeidi spent three days in Beijing discussing ways to resolve the crisis.
China, which claims a non-interference foreign policy, insists a ceasefire should be the top priority for both sides.
Beijing has oil, telecom and rail interests in Libya and sent a warship to help evacuate more than 30,000 Chinese workers when fighting started in mid-February.
China abstained from the U.N. Security Council vote for international military action against Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi's regime, and this effectively gave the resolution the go-ahead.
Beijing has since criticized the Nato-led air strikes.
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Activists say supporters and opponents of the Syrian government have clashed in several cities, and least seven people have been killed.
Witnesses and human rights activists say Syrian security forces fired on anti-government crowds Tuesday, causing casualties in the central cities of Homs and Hama and the Mayadin district of Deir al-Zour. Demonstrations also erupted in the capital, Damascus.
Anti-government protesters went into the streets after pro-government rallies in which thousands gathered to show support for President Bashar al-Assad.
State television showed tens of thousands of pro-Assad demonstrators in Damascus and other cities, holding flags and pictures of the president, a day after he blamed the recent unrest on "saboteurs" and laid out plans to consider political reforms.
Also Tuesday, the state news service said Mr. Assad has granted a general amnesty for crimes committed before June 20, but did not provide further details.
In the president's 70-minute speech Monday, he offered a national dialogue that would begin to review new laws on parliamentary elections, the media and possible reforms to Syria's constitution.
Activists immediately dismissed his promises, saying they failed to meet the demands of protesters who for three months have rallied for democratic changes and defied a fierce military crackdown.
The International Committee of the Red Cross says Syrian officials have agreed to give the aid group wider access to areas of unrest, which it says is "imperative" to assess the humanitarian situation in the country. The agreement follows meetings between ICRC President Jakob Kellenberger and Syrian Prime Minister Adel Safar.
Turkey is sheltering more than 10,000 Syrians in tent cities near the Syrian border. Turkish officials say another 10,000 who have fled the military crackdown are sheltering close to the frontier just inside Syria.
Rights activists say more than 1,400 civilians have been killed and 10,000 detained since mid-March in the government's crackdown on protests.
Some information for this report was provided by AP and Reuters.
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Osama bin Laden's second-in-command has taken the helm of al-Qaida, following what many call a "corporate succession plan" charted out by the terrorist group's late leader. This plan illustrates bin Laden's business sense that he picked up long before he was the face of jihad, while working for his Saudi family's multi-billion dollar construction company. His knack for business has been critical to al-Qaida's growth, but it is also proving to be a vulnerability.
Al-Qaida Emir
Duties:
- Internal and external representative of al-Qaida - Chairman of the Leadership Council - Oversees all al-Qaida activities, including budget, execution of goals and agenda, appointment of leaders
Qualifications:
- "Practical" jihad experience - Clear dedication to jihad - Must be in "good health" - Must carry out basic responsibilities of an Imam - Preferred familiarity with military operations - Preferred to have completed a university degree - Age is considered - Must be trustworthy, not greedy, a team player, patient, wise, intelligent
Al-Qaida runs like any other business. It keeps financial records with trails of receipts, often scribbled on notebook paper. Even arguments over printer toner cartridges are tracked. The hiring process is thorough, with a questionnaire asking recruits for personal references, previous jihad experience and whether they are exiled from their home country. If a candidate is hired, al-Qaida's bylaws neatly define their top operatives' job descriptions.
These rare details of al-Qaida's inner-workings are outlined in a series of documents from the U.S. Defense Department's Harmony Database. U.S. forces uncovered the files in Iraq, Afghanistan and other battlefields over the past decade.
Business savvy
Bruce Hoffman, a terrorism expert at Georgetown University in Washington, said bin Laden's corporate know-how defined his brand.
"I think it's his personal stamp and personal approach. And don't forget this is what catapulted al-Qaida to prominence and certainly enabled it to become the preeminent non-state threat of our era," said Hoffman, adding that this approach is proving troublesome for bin Laden's group.
"So I think he applied in many cases successfully the same technique from business to running the terrorist organization, but his penchant for organization and al-Qaida's, I think, detailed record keeping is now proving to be an enormous vulnerability."
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This vulnerability was exposed when U.S. special forces killed the world's most wanted terrorist in May. The commandos confiscated troves of information from bin Laden's Pakistani compound in the raid. The intelligence added to a collection of secrets, some of which are held at the Combating Terrorism Center at West Point in New York. The Harmony documents provide anecdotes about al-Qaida's training process, operations, fighter profiles and even job benefits.
As of 2001, documents showed married fighters earning nearly six times more than single men. The fighters also received on average a week of vacation each month and funded trips abroad for medical care. Files also revealed that al-Qaida requires its suicide bombers to sign a martyrdom agreement, vowing they willingly accept the mission and will not back out.
View the timeline of Osama bin Laden Terror:
Organizational hierarchy
In the mix of documents is a lengthy draft of al-Qaida's central command. The emir, now Ayman al-Zawahri, sits on top with a deputy emir and a leadership council of five to eight members. Below that are various committees including military, security and foreign relations.
Noman Benotman learned the ins and outs of organizations like al-Qaida as the former leader of the al-Qaida-linked Libyan Islamic Fighting Group.
"It's a normal structure for any single jihad group. Al-Qaida's just a copycat," said Benotman. He has since denounced the extremist ideology and challenges his former ways as a senior analyst at the British policy and research group, Quilliam.
Benotman said organization is so important to a group's survival that seminars are held on the topic for aspiring leaders of jihad. "They believe in changing regimes through violence. So in a sense, they are revolutionary groups. So that said, you have to build a very good structure," he said.
Noman Benotman talks about his experience with Osama bin Laden in the early days of al-Qaida:
Central Control
Bin Laden's charisma helped attract recruits from around the world. But Jarret Brachman, the author of the book, Global Jihadism, said bin Laden never intended to create the broad-based network al-Qaida has become.
"For bin Laden, al-Qaida was always meant to be an elite, exclusive club. It was the vanguard organization that would differentiate itself from the broader, Muslim world," he said. "I think it became, though, really the selfish creation of several individual men who wanted a cult personality and needed that external affirmation."
But to maintain its popularity, Brachman said the core group had to "pretend to be an inclusive, broad-based organization."
Former leader of the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group, Noman Benotman, talks about Osama bin Laden as a leader:
Recruiting
Hoffman said before the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in the United States, the group could draft recruits without many restrictions. "Al-Qaida pretty much had an open hand in recruitment because few people appreciated the threat they posed," he said.
Experts estimate that during the 1990s, al-Qaida's training camps saw thousands of recruits. But Hoffman said that changed when al-Qaida made a name for itself by flying planes into New York's World Trade Center and the Pentagon in Washington. Attacks that spurred the U.S. war in Afghanistan, where bin Laden was believed to be hiding.
"Obviously after the invasion of Afghanistan in 2001, and the fighting throughout 2002, training became much more problematical," said Hoffman. "Not least because al-Qaida had in essence created a state within a state in Afghanistan. And the numbers, I think, dramatically fell to the hundreds, if not the scores or even the tens." Since then, Hoffman said, training has been limited to smaller and much more modest training camps.
But al-Qaida has not let that limit it. Jarret Brachman, author of Global Jihadism, said around the same time, the group learned to embrace the power of the Internet.
"For a long time, al-Qaida just viewed the Internet more as a library, a place where they could just kind of host their eulogies, their documents," said Brachman. "But then early 2000s, they began to realize that this was an online community where people would come and interact with each other and radicalize one another and potentially even self-radicalize."
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Al-Qaida posts recruitment videos on the Web. And last year, al-Qaida in Yemen launched an online magazine called Inspire, gaining the most attention for the article, Make a Bomb in the Kitchen of Your Mom.
Don Rassler, an associate at the Combating Terrorism Center at West Point, said the Internet helps make al-Qaida accessible even to those who do not pledge their allegiance. He noted one video of a Pakistani-Dane terrorist mixing explosives in his Copenhagen apartment.
"At least for someone like Hamad Khurshid, watching these videos helped to indoctrinate him, and to motivate him to want to act and to seek training, to link up with al-Qaida, and to come back after that experience to prepare for an attack," said Rassler.
After bin Laden's death, al-Qaida released a video of Zawahri calling on operatives to attack the West from wherever they are in the world. But even with a strong media campaign flooding the Internet, Zawahri does not have the same appeal to al-Qaida's followers as bin Laden did.
Leah Farrall, author of All Things Counter Terrorism blog, discusses Zawahri's leadersip:
Fawaz Gerges, the director of the Middle East Center at the London School of Economics, said Zawahri is a divisive figure.
"The selection of Ayman al-Zawahri will likely bring about major defections within al-Qaida because he is not seen, he not on the same level in terms of unification," said Gerges. "He does not garner the same respect that Osama bin Laden did."
Will Zawahri bring change?
With Zawahri now on top, Leah Farrall, a former Australian senior counter terrorism intelligence analyst and author of the All Things Counter Terrorism blog, said it is unlikely there will be any short term structural changes for al-Qaida. But she said if there is change, it would make the group more vulnerable.
"The rules and regulations that govern how the organization functions become more important if the people in that position are shuffling through more quickly," said Farrall. "So that's one thing to bear in mind. And the other thing, too, is it obviously works."
But even the best laid plans can be disrupted by unforeseen events. Events like the seizure of bin Laden's hard drives and papers, which could aid counterterrorism efforts.
Fawaz Gerges, Director of the Middle East Center at LSA, talks about the crises al-Qaida faces:
Whatever the future maybe, al-Qaida faces challenges beyond that of getting used to a new leader. Gerges said the group is also grappling with financial issues as well as the existential threat of the Arab Spring, the popular uprisings in the Middle East and North Africa.
Al-Qaida also faces the threat of the U.S.-led war on terrorism, seemingly rejuvenated by the death of bin Laden and the troves of secrets taken from his compound. Still, analyst Bruce Hoffman said al-Qaida's corporate structure will help keep the group in business.
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Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou won a crucial parliamentary vote of confidence for his new government Tuesday, making passage of controversial economic reforms more likely.
One hundred fifty five lawmakers voted to back the new government while 143 voted against it. Two abstained. As expected, the vote was strictly along party lines. It came after a day of fierce debate, which saw several opposition members storm out of the chamber.
Thousands of Greeks massed outside parliament reacted with fury when the results were read. Some in the crowd held up a small gallows with three nooses hanging from it and waved it at riot police.
Mr. Papandreou is appealing to lawmakers to pass his package of spending cuts, tax hikes, and the sale of state assets. Passage would assure a $17 billion installment of last year's $160 billion bailout from the European Union and International Monetary Fund.
Eurozone finance ministers have said they would approve the payment only when Greece passes more economic reforms.
Mr. Papandreou warned parliament that Greece would face bankruptcy and default next month if it fails to back his reforms and secure the loan payment.
The opposition and some members of the prime minister's own Socialist Party say the reforms will not work. And millions of ordinary Greeks have been holding strikes and nationwide protests, angry that they are being asked to make more sacrifices.
Economic analysts say a default by Greece could spark another global financial disaster.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.
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U.S. first lady Michelle Obama has met with black liberation icon Nelson Mandela during her first full day of a two-country southern Africa visit.
White House officials had said it would be very unlikely Michelle Obama would get to meet the former anti-apartheid activist and former South African president Nelson Mandela on her trip.
But soon after she began her first full day in South Africa, and a brief visit to the Nelson Mandela foundation, the U.S. first lady paid a courtesy visit to the nearby Johannesburg home of the frail 92-year-old. He has been under home medical care since he was hospitalized earlier this year with acute respiratory infection and rarely receives visitors.
U.S. President Barack Obama, the first African-American to hold the office, has said South Africa's anti-apartheid struggle against white minority rule was his first political cause.
The president is not on this trip, but his two daughters, Malia and Sasha, are - along with several other relatives - and they all met with Mandela.
On Mandela's office desk there is a 2006 picture of the elder South African statesman with visiting then-senator Barack Obama. Michelle Obama was quoted as saying her husband was "pouty" that he was not on the current trip. An official at the Mandela foundation called her "a lovely woman without any airs."
Other highlights of the day included scheduled stops at the U.S. Embassy, the Apartheid Museum, and a day care center.
Wednesday, Mrs. Obama will spend most of the day in the Soweto area of Johannesburg, starting with a speech before young African women leaders. She also will visit the Hector Pieterson museum, named after a young boy who was killed in anti-apartheid protests in Soweto in 1976.
A local high school student who admires the American first lady for her repeated messages of youth empowerment is 17-year-old Thato, who said today's youths fight for their own success.
"In order to do that it is only through education," said Thato. "So all we are fighting about is just to work hard, go to school and be successful. So that is what we are fighting about. Being able to be independent, and knowing your responsibilities, things that you have to do as a person, as an individual. I think our fight is about that, that we have to be successful and reach our goals."
She called Michelle Obama a new version of the late British Princess Diana, an international personality admired for her style and charity work. The Soweto high school student said the first lady also offers a good combination of traits.
"Looking at her, she is motivating a lot of young children, and teenagers like us," she said. "And on top of that, since we live in a world of style and a lot of stuff, I know she is one of those fashionable ladies. So hey, it is a good thing. But then on top of that, it is not about what she has or what not, but the fact that she is encouraging young teenagers to become what they want to be in life, so it is a great thing."
South African newspapers noted that when Michelle Obama arrived in South Africa late Monday she stepped off her plane in a bright orange and black sweater by Nigerian-British designer Duro Olowu.
The southern Africa trip continues this week with stops in Cape Town, Robben Island, where Mandela was held for 18 years, and then on to Botswana.
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China's state-controlled media are warning Vietnam that Beijing will "take whatever measures necessary," including military action, to protect its interests in the South China Sea. The Global Times newspaper, in an editorial Tuesday, issued Beijing's sternest public warning yet to Vietnam as regional tensions rise over conflicting maritime claims to territories thought to be rich in oil and natural gas deposits.
The newspaper said that failure to reach a peaceful solution to the disputed claims, which center on the Spratly island chain, will prompt Beijing to use maritime police and naval forces, if necessary, to protect Chinese claims.
The editorial comes as the Hong Kong Commercial Daily newspaper reports that Beijing has moved up the start date for sea trials of a new aircraft carrier to July 1 because of the rising tensions. The report says the carrier, a refurbished Russian vessel, will not be officially launched until October 2012. The Chinese military has not confirmed the sea trials.
In Washington, U.S. Senator John McCain said the United States must help Southeast Asian nations boost their maritime forces to counter China's "unsubstantiated" claims in the South China Sea.
McCain, speaking late Monday, said he is troubled over Beijing's increasingly assertive maritime actions, especially in waters claimed by members of the regional block known as Association of Southeast Asian Nations, ASEAN.
McCain, in remarks to the influential policy group the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said Washington should assist ASEAN to develop and deploy maritime early warning radar, coastal security vessels and other basic maritime systems.
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India's foreign minister is in Burma for meetings with top leaders that are expected to focus on security and trade. New Delhi says the trip, the first since a civilian government took office, is an opportunity to "further vitalize" the relationship.
S.M. Krishna's visit is India's first high-level engagement since the country's military government was replaced with a nominally civilian leadership in March.
India says the two sides will discuss security cooperation as well as trade and investment.
Krishna is not scheduled to meet with opposition and democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who was banned from participating in the election.
India was once a vocal Suu Kyi supporter but changed its policy in the early 1990s in order to have better cooperation with the military government.
Professor D.S. Muni at Singapore's Institute of South Asian Studies says India realized there was a heavy security cost for supporting Aung San Suu Kyi and calls for democracy in Burma.
"Certainly as a result of change in New Dehli's policy there has been considerable cooperation on the border, for instance," Muni said. "Lot of northeast insurgencies which have been earlier taking shelter in Myanmar - the Myanmar government's cooperation is forthcoming."
Muni says although there is cooperation, India has not been entirely satisfied with Burma's border security and hopes to improve communications with the new government over the issue.
Critics say Burma's controversial November election merely gave a civilian face to continued military rule.
A quarter of all parliament seats were reserved for the military and the military party won by a landslide amid widespread reports of voter fraud and intimidation.
Muni says although India is not pushing openly for democratic change in Burma, it has engaged in quiet diplomacy on the issue.
The engagement policy has also paid off economically for both Burma and India.
Bilateral annual trade volume shot from tens of millions of dollars in the 1980s to about a billion and a half dollars last year. Muni says Burma has also discussed brokering new deals for critical energy supplies including oil.
While that remains far less than the several billion dollars of annual Chinese trade and investment, Muni says India is more worried about Chinese naval activity in the region.
"Recently there were visit[s] of the two Chinese ships," Muni said. "Now there is a Chinese ship coming to Singapore. The Chinese are setting up a port development in Sri Lanka, they're planning a port development in Chittagong [Bangladesh]. So, I think this naval activity has suddenly alerted almost anyone who has concern for security in the Bay of Bengal."
The Indian foreign minister's visit coincides with a visit to Burma by a delegation from the European Union.
The EU group also met with government ministers and was to meet Tuesday evening with Aung San Suu Kyi.
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President Barack Obama will announce his plan for implementing the beginning of a U.S. troop withdrawal from Afghanistan in a speech scheduled to begin at 00:00 UTC Thursday. Mr. Obama will say he is fulfilling the commitment made 18 months ago to begin drawdown, and underscore progress toward turning over security to Afghan forces.
Leading up to the president's announcement, the White House stressed again that it would not involve any re-tooling of the strategy unveiled in December 2009 in a speech Mr. Obama delivered at the U.S. military academy at West Point, New York.
In that address, Mr. Obama set out what he called a "strategy to bring this war to a successful conclusion" and announced deployment of an additional 30,000 troops aimed at turning back Taliban advances.
"As commander in chief I have determined that it is in our vital national interest to send an additional 30,000 U.S troops to Afghanistan. After 18 months our troops will begin to come home. These are the resources that we nee to seize the imitative while building the Afghan capacity that will allow for a responsible transition of our forces out of Afghanistan," Mr. Obama said.
U.S. Army Sgt First Class Peter Adam (C) with the 10th Mountain Division briefs soldiers before leaving a patrol in the Arghandab Valley north of Kandahar, April 21, 2011. (Reuters)
At the time, Mr. Obama noted the war's "enormous costs in lives and resources" but said he was convinced that U.S. security was at stake in what he called the epicenter of violent extremism in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
The president will reaffirm his commitment from 2009 to begin withdrawing forces. Various reports quoted administration officials as saying at least 5,000 soldiers, about one brigade, could come out in coming months, with another by the end of the year.
Cautioning against media speculation, White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said Mr. Obama has remained focused on three objectives: disrupting, dismantling and defeating al-Qaida, reversing Taliban momentum, and preventing Afghanistan from becoming a safe haven for terrorists.
"Those objectives are being met, we have had a significant amount of success in meeting those objectives and the president has been very engaged in the process evaluating that. We are not there yet obviously, but it is important to remember what the objective were from the beginning and what they were not and the president will make that clear again tomorrow evening," Carney said.
Mr. Obama will reiterate the U.S. and NATO commitment of completely transferring security responsibilities to Afghan government forces by 2014. He and military commanders have stressed that the speed of withdrawals would be based on conditions on the ground. Withdrawal of the 30,000 U.S. surge force by next year would still leave some 68,000 U.S. troops in Afghanistan.
The president could also address growing anti-war sentiment in the United States, reflected in public opinion polls, and positions taken by members of Congress.
In the U.S. Senate, Democrat Joe Manchin of West Virginia made the case heard more frequently that the U.S. can no longer afford the costs of the Afghanistan war. Republican John McCain responded.
MANCHIN: "The question the president faces and we all face is quite simple. Will we choose to rebuild America, or Afghanistan?" MCCAIN: "If we leave Afghanistan in defeat, we will repeat the lessons of history, and it is not our expenditures on Afghanistan that are the reasons why we are now experiencing the budget difficulties that we are experiencing."
Before a meeting with President Obama on Tuesday, outgoing Secretary of Defense Robert Gates told reporters Mr. Obama clearly had to take American's concerns about war costs into account in making his decision, in addition to conditions on the ground in Afghanistan.
"It goes without saying that there are a lot of reservations in the Congress about the war in Afghanistan and our level of commitment. There are concerns among the American people who are tired of a decade of war," Gates said.
One day after announcing his Afghanistan troop decision, President Obama will visit the military base at Fort Drum, New York, home to the 10th Mountain Division, which has seen intense and frequent deployments in Afghanistan as well as Iraq.
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