ambassador to islamabad. the second came from the nato international security force in kabul. our correspondent in kabul has the details. >> this is a joint statement, a result of a joint investigation by the nato coalition forces, and the pakastani military, and they have jointly agreed what happened a week ago when as an american apache helicopter opened fire, killing two pakastani border guards, injuring four others. the significance is it is now being accepted by both sides it was the pakastani border guards that opened fire first. just to recall the circumstances, this american helicopter was on an operation against insurgents. it accepted that it strayed into pakastani airspace. and the statement said the pakastani border guards probably opened fire as a warning to the helicopter about their presence. the pilots of the helicopter, one assumes, this understood this, returned fire, and that is what killed these two pakastani border guards. as you say, as a result of that, close the border to nato convoys, and now there has been attacks regularly since this occurred. nato f

a brazen attack on the outskirts of the capital islamabad, putting further pressure on supply lines. the tankers have been forced to stop here since friday because of the closure of the border crossing. when the attack came, they were like sitting ducks, with absolutely no security. >> if you don't have any security, i think no one will go. >> reporter: the pakistan authorities say protecting the afghan bound convoys isn't their responsibility. 80% of fuel and three quarters of other non-lethal supplies travel via pakistan. now hundreds of fuel tankers are vulnerable to attack, stranded since pakistan closed its main border crossing. that was an apparent reaction to a nato border incursion when attack helicopters killed three border guards. pakistan television showed video of what it says is coverage of that incident. for which nato has expressed regret. it comes at a time of a record number of drone attacks on targets in pakistan's tribal areas. pakistan says it will open the border soon, but with the taliban threatening more attacks, nato's supply lines are dangerously exposed. ian

inside afghanistan that killed two pakastani soldiers and provoked the fury of the government in islamabad. u.s. helicopters mistook the soldiers for insurgents. police say militants have again attacked me know fuel tankers, destined to supply of foreign troops in afghanistan. it is the latest in five such attacks on me know convoys. here is orla guerin. >> it is becoming a familiar sight. nato tankers consumed by flames. today, a dozen gunmen torch to visit death of. a team rushed to the scene. moments later, one correspondent had to run for cover. the taliban say they carried out the attacks, and this was followed by another. the more they are hit by u.s. drowns, the more they will hit the nato convoys. those convoys are sitting ducks. about 6000 lorries have been at a standstill since last week. this road has been blocked to nato traffic. coalition forces say they are managing without it. >> this is just one of several border crossing points. it is not impeded. we do not see any significant impact on our ability to cross the country. >> the closer it follows an air strike that killed tw

let's get to ian williams live in islamabad. any hope that we're going to start seeing these nato -- this nato convoy able to get into afghanistan? >> reporter: good morning, chuck. at the moment there's no sign of those convoys continuing because the border remains closed. i've lost count of the number of apologies over the last couple of days as a result of that helicopter strike that accidentally killed two pakistani officers. this morning, the foreign ministry here in islamabad said they were still evaluating the situation and said they'd make a decision on the border opening in due course. now, that leaves many, many hundreds of tankers still stranded on the way to the border. there haven't been any attacks today, but earlier we went out to the scene of an attack last night and the tankers were still in flames, were still smoldering a couple of hours outside of islamabad on the way toward the khyber pass. interestingly, that attack took place right under the nose of the army. there's a huge army base just up the road from w

from islamabad -- >> more nato tankers going up in flames.olice say about 10 gunmen struck undercover of darkness, spraying the fuel tankers and their drivers with automatic weapons. after doing all this, the gunman calmly walked away, according to witnesses. and this was the scene in daylight. the taliban say they carried out this attack. survivors say it was merciless. >> i was asleep on top of my truck and saw a gunman. he shouted, god is great, and started firing. as i ran away, i was shot dead. >> this obvious target had no protection. there was no one to stop the taliban who came to torch the depot. hasome you can see what th been done here, and there's still some smoke rising. drivers said there was a warning from police two days ago. there were told not to stay with their vehicles overnight. but there were not offered any production. these trucks are checked regularly by the militants. but now they are a particularly easy target. that have been stranded since last week when pakistan closed the past to nato convoys. >> that followed a

nick schifrin has more from islamabad, pakistan. >> reporter: the war in afghanistan will not end thanks to guns being fired. it will end, thanks to guns being laid down. the u.s. is hoping this scene begins playing out across the country. taliban insurgents agree to stop fighting and pledge allegiance to the afghan government. the door to negotiation is always open, the local governor says. military might will not solve our problems. 400 miles away, these men also fought against the united states. but the military releases them. tribal leaders sign a statement promising to keep the men straight. and american troops let these 12 go out any consequence. >> we wish these men well. >> reporter: it might seem unusual to see the u.s. trying to reduce violence by releasing prisoners. but the majority of insurgents aren't ideological. they fight for money or because they're mad at the government and can be persuaded to stop, as hillary clinton told robin roberts on "gma." >> i am increasingly convinced that many of the lower-level taliban, young men who, frankly, are in increasing numbers, layi

our own ian williams got a firsthand look today and is with us from islamabad. ian, good evening. >> reporter: good evening, brian. pakistan still isn't saying when that key border crossing might reopen. but in nenetime, hundreds of trucks are stranded and open to attack. they were struggling to douse the flames today on a burning convoy of 30 fuel tankers. torched where they had been stranded because of the border closure. these tankers parked here because they thought it was relatively safe. along a main road and just a short distance from a major army base. yet the soldiers didn't intervene while the gunmen methodically destroyed these tankers. muhammad told me it took two hours for the police to arrive. this was the seventh attack since pakistan closed a key border crossing a week ago. an apparent response to an american helicopter incursion that killed two pakistani border guards. nato and the u.s. have now apologized but today that didn't seem to be enough for the pakistani government. >> our authorities are evaluating the security situation. >> reporter:

seen as a response to a nato air strike against insurgents which killed three pakistani soldiers islamabad says it will consider harsher measures if nato forces continue incursions into its territory u.s. led strikes against alleged militants in pakistan have been taking place for years meanwhile former president pervez musharraf who's in exile in london has launched a new political party he plans to return to pakistan and run for office which are of says the war on terror cannot be won with out islamabad support. unless you stand either part of the fight to give them an extremism the fight to gain or to exceed their paul the incumbent on own on the united states and on allied forces across to be conscious of this entity would be the pakistan and then big actions nor. encourage him across the border killing pakistani soldiers. and he billions reaches the sentry duty or pakistan norway lucian of the sovereignty of pakistan can be accepted by anyone in particular. let's take a look now at some international news in greece for you this hour at least thirty six people have been killed in a tra

he is live for us in islamabad. what is the latest from there? >> hi, tamron. we're getting reports of this latest attack, which has taken place between the capital here in islamabad and the path. it seems that once again it involves tankers, trucks, carrying nato supplies to the border and stranded at the side of the road by the border crossing. it seems to be open season on these fuel convoys, stranded, waiting on the road without security, like sitting ducks really. this morning's attack, we do have more detail on that, involved the torching of 25 fuel tachke tankers in the southwest of this country, attacked by gunmen, the taliban claiming responsibility. firing at the trucks and setting fire to the wheels. now, that was the sixth attack since the border was closed a week ago. there's no sign of when the border may reopen. there's some hope that a report today, a joint report by nato and the pakistan military, which examined a border incursion incident believed to be the reason the border was closed in retaliation by pakistan. in that report, nato said, yes

. >> when i was speaking to sources in islamabad, they were saying it jokingly. they would take away the security of natos. somewhere the slip annual of security. who would know, there were tons of trucks. who tells them that these trucks were nato trucks. they have this courage to speak. you take away the responsibility of the state. we attack the convoys because of what they are doing. listen, this is a state job not a taliban job. the fear is this would be more popular. >> i'll have to stop you there. we have run out of time. still to come, we are live in chi chile. >> 60 days underground but confident that one of these drills could breakthrough to the men this week. flu >> in the first trip of papers to sisly, he urged people to stand strong. we have the report. >> a warm welcome for the president. hearing him celebrate mass. >> i know people have problems, issues and worries. many people are uncertain about work, fears for the future, physical and moral sufferingnd as the arch bishop said, physical and original nieszed crime. >> he paid tribute for the pries

will be in islamabad in less than a month. in the meantime, we will meet their priorities and then we will see how much we have diverted and sit down with the congress and see where we go from there. >> all three of you talked about in the recovery phase strategies for economic growth. mr. koreshi emphasized his country's trade. when you take note of -- think whatt economic strategies an, is possible by way of trade and open border reforms in south asia as a region and between pakistan and the u.s. and between pakistan and other partners that can be a focus of american support for pakistan's recovery? >> is important to note that the pakistani government has offered a detailed vision of what is possible on the economic growth frontier. it is a vision that is characterized by a significant investment and an energy infrastructure that will allow for productivity and economic development. it captures the potential strategic and comparative advantage pakistan has. high value of agricultural exportation and processed goods, includi

having been in islamabad for the last meeting and received the excellent work that your team has been doing. as the pres leaves, we will begin our discussion and i will turn first to secretary gates and then he will be followed by the defense minister. >> there will be more on this, this afternoon with a live news conference. the c-span networks provide coverage of politics, public affairs, a nonfiction books, and american history. all available on television, radio, online, and social media networking sites if. find c-span content any time through c-span pose the video library. and we have the digital bus and local content vehicle, bringing our resources to your community. the c-span networks, available in 100 million homes, created by cable, provided as a public service. [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2010] >> there is an accusation that nancy pelosi violated ethics rules, citing news reports in which speaker pelosi vowed to seek help from -- leaning organizations and it lists political expenditures by those

we'll be live from islamabad. >>> and should there be a two-month moratorium on home foreclosures.you're watching "andrea mitchell reports." ( laughing ) ( speaking korean ) ( children squealing, laughing ) dwight eisenhower: in the goodness of time all people will come to live together in a peace guaranteed. ♪ you may say i'm a dreamer ♪ ♪ but i'm not the only one ♪ - ♪ i hope someday... - good night, baby. ♪ ...you'll join us ♪ and the world will be as one. ♪ announcer: together. we are the human network. cisco. oh no, no! i just parked here aond ago! give me a brk, will you? (announcer dr. scholl's masg gel soles with t different gels for softness and support... ...are outrageously comfortable. ...on second thought, i think i'll walk... (announcer) are u gellin'? dr. scholl how are you getting to a happier place? running there? dancing there? how about eating soup to get there? campbell's soups fill you with good nutrition, farm-grown ingredients, and can help you keep a healthy weight. campbell's. it's amazing what soup can do. >>> for the sixth time in less than a week, a nato

islamabad closed at the checkpoint in order to stop air strikes against extremists on their own soil. some of the attacks have claimed civilians. a number of pakistani soldiers for also killed. >> it is time for the americans to realize that whatever they are doing is a direct insult to the pakistani nation. >> washington is sticking to their strategy. they argued that drones are the most effective way of destroying targets a remote areas. earlier this week, drones' killed a number of suspected extremists from germany near the pakistani border. they are believed to have been talking attacks in europe. >> we will see more south korean products here in europe. >> laptops, handsets. the european union and south korea has signed a historic free-trade agreement in brussels and this is going to take effect next july. this was given the green light by eu leaders despite concerns about opening european markets to south korean car makers. brussels expects trade to increase 19 billion euros. the eu china summit took place in brussels on wednesday against the backdrop of a looming currency war i

will be in islamabad in less than a month.e meantime, we will meet their priorities and then we will see how much we have diverted and sit down with the congress and see where we go from there. >> all three of you talked about in the recovery phase strategies for economic growth. mr. koreshi emphasized his country's trade. when you take note of -- think whatt economic strategies an, is possible by way of trade and open border reforms in south asia as a region and between pakistan and the u.s. and between pakistan and other partners that can be a focus of american support for pakistan's recovery? >> is important to note that the pakistani government has offered a detailed vision of what is possible on the economic growth frontier. it is a vision that is characterized by a significant investment and an energy infrastructure that will allow for productivity and economic development. it captures the potential strategic and comparative advantage pakistan has. high value of agricultural exportation and processed goods, including tex

other options for polish and forces to get clothes and fuel through other parts of .akistan -- the islamabadts this rail -- public anger against coalition attacks on pakistani soil and more militant attacks on supplies will give nato added complications for a mission that is already hard enough. >> you are watching bbc world news. 57 days trapped underground -- could there be new hope for the chilean miners? japanese smokers will have to reach deeper into their pockets for cigarettes. >> being a smoker is pretty grim at the best of times. coming out in the cold and rain to a place like this to feed your habit -- hear, and japan, it just got more expensive, the government has increased the tax on tobacco by a record-breaking 40%. the pact that used to cost $300 yen now cost $410 and yen. that is only $4.88, cheap by international standards. but it is still a shock to japanese smokers. they want people to quit. at the moment, more than one in three japanese men smoke while the number is lower for women, only around 10%. overall, japan is the fourth biggest market for tobacco in the world. how

a new report from the white house slams islamabad for not cracking down on militants that hit u.s. targets in afghanistan and flee to safety across the border. the pakistan military continue to avoid military engagement, though put in direct conflict with afghan taliban or al qaeda forces in north waziristan. >> we've got to persuade them to at least put these groups on ice. >> reporter: u.s. commanders warn of more tough fighting ahead. the offensive is critical to the president's strategy to break taliban control in the area. manny? >> thank you. >>> now to the latest on the worst offshore oil spill in history. a government panel says the obama administration kept a lid on the truth of just how bad the gulf oil spill was. after the deepwater horizon rig exploded april 20th, 206 million gallons of oil gushed into the gulf. but, the review panel says the administration's public estimates about the spill size were far lower and later it said most of the oil was gone, when it wasn't. the review panel says the administration also blocked a request by government scientists to disclose

but washington is frustrated by islamabad's unwillingness to go after taliban havens inside its own borders. earlier this month, in a report to congress, the white house said: "the pakistan military has continued to avoid military engagements that would put it in direct conflict with afghan taliban or al qaeda forces." retired u.s. army general jack keane reported much the same after a fact-finding trip for general david petraeus, the u.s. commander in afghanistan. keane spoke to pbs's charlie rose on tuesday. >> nothing has changed. every day, out of those sanctuaries, come forces that are killing our forces and maiming our soldiers and interfering with nato's effort at large. that is the absolute facts of it. some of them are actually receiving training from pakistan forces. >> warner: on wednesday in "the new york times," former u.s. ambassador to afghanistan zalmay khalilzad said it was time to get tougher with the pakistanis. "the united states should demand that pakistan shut down all sanctuaries and military support programs for insurgents," he wrote," or else we will carry out opera

nbc's ian williams is live for us in islamabad. thanks so much. you've been tracking this. there is no give on the pakistani side, and a lot of mutual suspicions opening up here. >> well, good afternoon, andrea. it certainly seems that way. i think the u.s., and her allies had hoped that all the apologies yesterday would quickly lead to the reopening of the border. but those hopes were dashed today when the foreign ministry here said they were still evaluating the security situation, and said they would make a decision in what they called due course. well, we haven't seen any further attacks yet, although this is the dangerous time of the day, the dangerous time of the night here. when the taliban have been launching those attacks on those sitting ducks for hundreds of tankers waiting to cross the border. earlier today, we went to one of the latest attacks, while they were still trying to douse the flames in now shirra not far from the capital. this attack had taken place just down the road from a large army base and yet drivers complained to us that nobody had come to help

bbc news in islamabad. >> in chile, the miners rescued have been received as guests of honor at the presidential palace in the capital of santiago. they also played a football match against the man who rescued them. the miners took the early lead. gideon long has this report from santiago. puts a fortnight ago, the chilean president was at the mine to welcome the miners back into the world. today, invited them into his office. thousands of people gathered outside to catch a glimpse of the men. most of the miners seem to be taking their newfound celebrity in stride. a few do appear to be feeling the strain. their fame has spread far beyond chile. at the world expo in shanghai, it is now a tourist attraction. it hardly matters that it was not used in the rescue. it is still seen as a piece of history. >> i feel as if i were at the rescue scene when i look at it. it is very touching. >> he has been reminding the world of just how successful the rescue was. this is a souvenir for the british prime minister david cameron, a rock from the san jose mine. there is another one for the queen. it has been

embassy in islamabad. >>> in france the idea of having to work longer and put off retirement is bringinguge numbers of people to the streets in protest. this time almost a million people are making their voices heard. we get more now. >> reporter: in paris, people took to the streets, smashing windows, throwing flares, and scuffling with the police. hundreds of thousands of people poured out to protest against government plans to raise the age of retirement to 62. the impact of these demos has been felt primarily in public transportation. and now because oil refinery workers are on strike, there is little fuel at france's main airport, charles de gaulle. planes need fuel to fly, and so some flights have had to be grounded. drivers and businesses worried about gas shortages were being urged not to panic as a day of street rallies continued. these strikes against the government's pension reform have massive public support. >> if we actually ever find work, we'll have to work until we're 70. >> reporter: the key battle is between the french president and the unions. nicolas sarkozy is hopin

islamabad's allies and friends of democratic pakistan, are calling for urgent political reforms. >> we helping pakistan, but we also expect pakistan to implement necessary changes. we're focusing on government reforms and on more equality between the rich and poor. >> on thursday, u.s. secretary of state hillary clinton called on the wealthy in pakistan to do more to help the wrong people. she said measures to tackle corruption and tax reforms were essential. the wealthy elite of pakistan only pay 9% tax on their earnings. >> there is recognition that our tax base is not broad enough. >> but so far, there has been little political will to do anything about it. now the friends of democratic pakistan are insisting on change in return for further financial aid. >> on the sidelines of those talks, the german foreign minister met with his iranian counterpart. he urged the iranian counterpart to intervene on the two german journalists charged on efforts to interview the son of a woman sentenced to death by stoning. he will continue to pursue diplomatic channels to gain their release. a memor

you're right i had a meeting with my pakistani colleagues here in islamabad and they too were amazed at this phenomenon there's only one way to explain it when the taliban sought official recognition for its kabul regime they took on president of measures to eradicate oppin poppy crops they consistently took serious steps in one nine hundred ninety eight nine hundred ninety nine and two thousand when they introduced capital punishment for poppy cultivation as a result they succeeded in a radical drug crop on ninety percent of afghanistan's territory all the provinces they controlled the only place they couldn't do it was a northern afghanistan which was controlled by the so-called northern alliance but then operation enduring freedom began and the situation changed drastically only a competent government that has the support of the people can really control the country and take serious steps to destroy drug production how can we talk about the military solution to the problem when also the poppy fields in afghanistan are located near in areas of the most intense fighting or where for

let me turn to islamabad now, the pakistani capital. our frederick pleitgen is there.how vital this is to getting supplies to our troops in afghanistan. >> reporter: almost 50% of the supplies that go to the troops in afghanistan go through this, past peshawar into afghanistan from pakistan. it's vital. we saw today, you see those 25 of 27 tanker trucks that were set on fire. that's a major below because it takes a lot of petrol, a lot of gasoline to actually fuel what's going on in afghanistan right now. so this is a very, very important route and remains closed till right now. no supplies going through there to the american troops in afghanistan. >> you talk about how vital it is, so i would assume that a lot of work is going on behind the scenes to try to get it back up and running. how close are we possible to a resolution of these tensions we've been seeing the past couple of days? >> reporter: well, it will probably be resolved in the next couple of days. however, there's still a lot of tension between america and pakistan. on the one hand, pakistan thinks americ

nbc's ian williams is in islamabad. >> today's destruction of dozens of fuel tankers brings to seven the number of attacks on nato bound convoys since pakistan closed the main afghan border crossing. hundreds more tankers remain stranded without security. like sitting ducks. >> reporter: pakistan's refusal to let the convoys through is frustrating the nato allies. >> i think the first thing is to get them moving. when they're static, they're obviously much easier targets. so let's get them moving. >> reporter: the white house is also losing patience. in a report to congress, president obama sharply criticized pakistan for not shutting down training camps from which attacks on u.s. troops in afghanistan and plots against europe are launched. the report obtained by nbc news says, the pakistan military continued to avoid military engagements that would put it in direct conflict with afghan taliban or al qaeda forces in north waziristan. the white house assessment was even more damning about pakistan's president who stayed in europe while his country was drowning in floods. >> the proble

the gunmen struck early this morning firing on at least 20 trucks parked near islamabad.ee people were killed. the trucks were part of a supply line that's been stalled because the pakistani government closed a border crossing. that crossing was closed to protest nato helicopter attacks inside pakistan. >>> the muslim leader planning to build an islamic community center near ground zero in manhattan now faces death threats. new york police confirm that faisal abdul-rauf and his wife received threatening phone calls. preliminary sketches of the 16-story center were released last week. its location, two blocks from the world trade center site that has triggered a contentious debate. >>> also here in new york, this week for the first time, a prisoner held at the guantanamo bay prison will go on trial in a civilian court. khalfan ga lanny is chargedÑi i the bombings of two u.s. embassy in east of a ka in 1998 accused of building the truck bombs which killed 224, including at least a dozen americans. >> in 1998 when these attacks occurred, the enemy was at war i with us but we