Chinese, Afghan presidents meet in Tashkent

Chinese President Hu Jintao met Wednesday night in Tashkent with Afghan President Hamid Karzai, who is here to attend the upcoming summit meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization as a guest of the president of Uzbekistan.

Hu told Karzai that he was shocked and deeply saddened by the terrorist attack on Chinese workers in Afghanistan. China thinks what the Afghan government has done so far to deal with the aftermath of the attack was positive, but hopes the Afghan government would do more, the Chinese president added.

"We are very much concerned with the fact that the criminals are still at large," Hu said. "We hope the Afghan government would carry out a thorough investigation into the incident as soon as possible and punish those responsible."

China also hopes the Afghan government will take effective measures to protect Chinese nationals in Afghanistan, Hu said.

Last Thursday morning, a group of about 20 armed men attacked the Chinese workers compound in Jelogir area, 36 km away of Kunduz city in Afghanistan, killing 11 people and injuring four others.

Hu said China's determination to oppose terrorism and fight against the so-called "three forces" of terrorism, separatism and extremism, will in no way waver despite the attack.

"The incident has again demonstrated that terrorism is our common enemy, and the three forces still pose serious threat to regional peace and stability," he said.

The Chinese president told Karzai that China will continue to develop friendly and cooperative relations with Afghanistan, and terrorist attacks will not undermine the friendship between China and Afghanistan.

Karzai said he was gravely upset and sorry for the attack against Chinese workers and he apologized on behalf of the Afghan people.

The Afghan president described the attack as one against the reconstruction of Afghanistan and its future. He promised that his government will intensify investigations and will notify China of any developments in time.

Karzai said Afghan will never tolerate terrorism in any form and will continue to fight terrorism. He hopes China would continue to participate in the reconstruction of his country.