As diplomatic triumphs go, just getting the leaders of Afghanistan and Pakistan to sit down and talk to each other in a civil fashion this week must rate as one of Barack Obama's more significant achievements during his first three months in office.
The last time the White House tried to get the leaders together, in 2006, the bad blood between Pervez Musharraf, Pakistan's military dictator, and his Afghan counterpart Hamid Karzai was such that the men refused to shake hands. Mr Musharraf suspected the Afghans were cosying up to Pakistan's mortal enemy, India, while Mr Karzai blamed Islamabad for supporting the Taliban's attempts to overthrow his government.
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