No hard words

A further sign of Pakistan's present mood of resentment and open defiance was given on Wednesday when the BBC World News channel was blocked nationwide for broadcasting a two-part documentary titled "Secret Pakistan". The film questions Pakistan's commitment to tackle the Taliban insurgency. Other Western news channels had been ordered "not to indulge in anti-Pakistan propaganda," the Cable Operators Association of Pakistan reported.

Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton has voiced her regret at Pakistan's decision to boycott the Afghanistan conference, but stopped short of an apology for the deaths of 24 Pakistani soldiers in NATO strikes at the weekend. Speaking at an aid conference in Busan, South Korea, Clinton told reporters: "Nothing will be gained by turning our backs on mutually beneficial cooperation. Frankly this is regrettable that Pakistan has decided not to attend the conference in Bonn." But Clinton also expressed the "hope that perhaps there can be a follow-up way that we can have the benefit of Pakistani participation in this international effort."

Berlin's continued efforts

Representatives from over 80 countries will be attending the Afghanistan conference in Bonn on Monday, December 5, scheduled to be the biggest conference ever organised by the German Foreign Ministry. Berlin's reaction to Pakistan's boycott has been measured and cautious but also not entirely without hope. Chancellor Angela Merkel has said that she would "see what could be done to change" Islamabad's decision. Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle has said that he will continue his efforts to ensure Pakistan's participation at the Bonn conference. But he has also acknowledged that it will be a "setback" if Pakistan abides by its decision to stay away.

Pakistan has over-reacted: German media

The German media, on the other hand, seem to suggest that while Pakistan's anger at the lethal NATO strike was understandable, its decision to boycott the Bonn conference is an over-reaction, as the Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung daily commented in its Wednesday issue: "It would have been sufficient to block the supply routes from Karachi to the ISAF soldiers (in Afghanistan), which has already happened." For the Berliner Morgenpost, Afghanistan, Pakistan and the USA were to play the "main roles" at the Bonn conference. Now, with the new escalation of tensions between Pakistan and the USA, the Bonn conference will become more of an exercise in "crisis management," the daily fears.

Author: Arun Chowdhury (Reuters, ap, afp, dpa)
Editor: Grahame Lucas