UN urged to talk to militants in Pak

Fighting along the Pakistan border with Afghanistan has forced up to 1 million Pakistanis from their homes _ a crisis that has remained largely hidden because aid agencies find it too dangerous to reach many of them, mediators said Tuesday. Officials and tribal leaders from the troubled North West Frontier Province appealed to the agencies during a visit to Geneva to explain their mission to militants so that they can bring in needed relief supplies. "Security and safe access are very high on the agencies' agenda," said Dennis McNamara of the HD Center for Humanitarian Dialogue. "They can't get into some of the areas and they aren't safe in others." The center, named for Red Cross founder Henry Dunant, hosted the Pakistanis for two days of talks to find ways of fostering improved security so that aid can be delivered. Pakistani Ambassador Zamir Akram appealed to the administration of President Barack Obama to work with Pakistan to ease tensions in the region bordering on Afghanistan. "Eight years of American failure in Afghanistan under Mr. George Bush, which is now being reviewed by Mr. Obama, has created an environment which has permeated into Pakistan," Akram said. He said the U.S. military's use of drones to target al-Qaida and Afghan militant leaders in the region was part of the problem and that he had yet to see any change since Obama took office in January. "They talk of change, but they continue to bomb our territory," said Akram. "They continue to use drones which create a lot of public anger and lead to the creation of internally displaced people. And if they have succeeding in killing anybody of any significance, then we haven't been told of it."