Afghan President Starts India Trip

23 February 2005 -- Afghanistan's President Hamid Karzai arrived in India today to start a three-day official visit.
Karzai is expected to meet with top Indian officials, including President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, for talks on boosting economic cooperation between India and Afghanistan and regional cooperation.

Karzai is being accompanied on the trip to New Delhi by a number of Afghan government ministers.

During a visit to Kabul last week by India's Foreign Minister Natwar Singh, Karzai urged the Indian government to support construction of a gas pipeline from Turkmenistan through Afghanistan to South Asia.

(AP/dpa)