Bush hosts tense dinner for Karzai, Musharraf

President Bush joked that he planned to “watch the body language” of Afghan President Hamid Karzai and Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf when he presided over a White House dinner with the two adversaries last night, but if he did, what he saw was grim.

As the president stood between the two leaders, Gen. Musharraf remained expressionless and Mr. Karzai nodded. But neither man looked at the other.

At the end of a brief statement, in which Mr. Bush said with understatement, “We’ve got a lot of challenges facing us,” he shook hands with Gen. Musharraf, then Mr. Karzai. But the two neighbors neither shook hands, nor looked at each other.

The three men then walked grim-faced down the colonnade, heading to what was expected to be a tense dinner of “sunchoke” soup, spicy sea bass and endive salad in the Old Family Dining Room of the White House.

“All of us must protect our countries, but at the same time, we all must work to make the world a more hopeful place,” Mr. Bush said in the Rose Garden. “And so today’s dinner is a chance for us to strategize together, to talk about the need to cooperate.”

“We’re proud to have you here, Mr. President,” Mr. Bush said to Gen. Musharraf, who replied quietly, “My pleasure.”

“Proud to have you here, Mr. President,” Mr. Bush said to Mr. Karzai. “Thanks very much,” the Afghan leader said.

Mr. Bush offered words of praise for the two leaders, who have been engaged in an increasingly belligerent exchange of words.

“These two men are personal friends of mine; they are strong leaders who have an understanding of the world in which we live; they understand that the forces of moderation are being challenged by extremists and radicals.”

Joining the three leaders at dinner — billed an “iftar,” a meal that breaks the dawn-to-dusk fast during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, because Gen. Musharraf and Mr. Karzai are Muslim — were Vice President Dick Cheney, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and National Security Adviser Stephen J. Hadley. The two nations’ ambassadors to the U.S. also attended.

More than two hours after the dinner was scheduled to end, the White House said the three leaders had shared their views during the “post-sundown meal.” But when asked by reporters how long the dinner had lasted, White House spokesman Nicole Guillemart would not say.

“The three leaders had a constructive exchange on the common challenges facing our three nations,” spokesman Tony Snow said.

The White House dinner came as violence rises in Afghanistan.

This month, a suicide bombing killed a provincial governor, a close associate of Mr. Karzai’s. On Monday, Safia Ama Jan, a women’s rights advocate who ran an underground school for girls during Taliban rule, was assassinated.

Yesterday, Afghan security forces killed 25 insurgency suspects during a clash in southern Afghanistan, and a suicide bombing targeting a NATO convoy wounded one civilian.

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