DUSHANBE (Islamweb & News Agencies) - US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, on a quick tour of Russia and four countries near Afghanistan, held talks on Saturday with Tajik President Imomali Rakhmonov on Tajikistan's support for the U.S. campaign.Rumsfeld had discussed intelligence cooperation with Russia in meetings with President Vladimir Putin and others in Moscow.
Tajik presidential press secretary Zafar Saidov said talks with Rakhmonov would focus on cooperation between Tajikistan -- a former Soviet Central Asian republic which borders Afghanistan -- and the United States in its military drive against ``terrorist'' bases and Afghanistan's ruling Taliban.
Tajikistan has offered the use of its airspace and other support for U.S. search-and-rescue and humanitarian operations.
Rumsfeld was due to fly on to Uzbekistan and Pakistan, two other countries which have a frontier with Afghanistan, and to India. Uzbekistan has offered one airbase to the United States for search-and-rescue and humanitarian operations and at least 1,000 U.S. troops are believed to be on its soil.
Earlier in Moscow Rumsfeld had talks in the Kremlin on Russia's key backing for the month-long campaign, including support by Russia's intelligence services.