Petraeus holds key Pakistan talks

This is Gen Petraeus's second visit to Pakistan in his new position

The chief of the US Central Command has arrived in Pakistan for key talks just hours before the inauguration as US president of Barack Obama.

Gen David Petraeus, who is holding talks with President Asif Ali Zardari, is a key advocate of a major US troop surge in neighbouring Afghanistan.

The visit also comes at a time when ties between Pakistan and India are strained after the attacks in Mumbai.

Gen Petraeus is also due to meet PM Yousuf Raza Gilani on the day trip.

As well as the tension between India and Pakistan and the troop surge in Afghanistan, Gen Petraeus was expected to discuss the situation in Pakistan's tribal border region.

The border area is the scene of a number of recent US drone attacks on targets inside Pakistan that have caused widespread anger in the region and among Pakistani politicians.

Militant activity has also threatened the major supply route through the Khyber Pass for US and Nato forces in Afghanistan.

Gen Petraeus has arrived from a week-long tour of Central Asian states where he was thought to be investigating an alternative supply route.

'Counter-productive'

US embassy spokesman Lou Fintor would only say that in Pakistan Gen Petraeus would hold "scheduled meetings with senior civilian and military government officials on issues of joint concern".

Attacks on vehicles supplying Afghanistan will be on the agenda

The US has said it is sending up to 30,000 new troops to Afghanistan this year to take on a resurgent Taleban. They will join 33,000 US and 32,000 other Nato troops already in the country.

This is Gen Petraeus's second visit to Pakistan since taking up his new position.

In November, he met Pakistan's army chief and prime minister and said he would consider Pakistani criticism of US missile strikes on Pakistani territory.

Pakistan says the missile strikes are "counter-productive" and detrimental to the so-called "war on terror".

Gen Petraeus was until recently commander of the US military in Iraq.

He was widely credited with improving security there through the "surge" plan, which saw nearly 30,000 US troops deployed to trouble-spots.

However, Afghanistan's ambassador to the US, Said Jawad, recently said a plan similar to the one in Iraq that formed local tribal groups to help combat the insurgency was "very risky".