Leading a large political-economic delegation, General Mosharraf was welcomed by Mr. Karzai, who, praised Pakistan’s promises for helping the Herculean work of reconstructing Afghanistan’s shattered economy.

U.S. troops in vehicles mounted with machine guns drove in front and behind Mosharraf's motorcade as he went to Kabol's presidential palace and talks with Karzai, a correspondent for the British news agency Reuters reported.

Taking part at a joint press conference, the two sides, reminding the "historical, cultural and religious ties", stressed on the importance of improving "fraternal" relations between Afghanistan and Pakistan in all fields.

Though both Mosharraf and Karzai described themselves as "brothers" and announced a series of wide ranging programmes, including Pakistan’s participation at repairing roads linking the two countries, constructing electrical power plants and telephone terminals as well as eradicating drug trafficking, yet Afghan sources said it would take long time before the Afghan could forget what Pakistan did to their country and people.

On his arrival, President Mosharraf pledged full support for Karzai and said Pakistan's sole aim now was to assist Afghanistan and join with it in stamping out terrorism.

Pakistan was one of the three nations -- Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates being the two others --, that had recognised officially the now defeated Taleban regime and had almost turned Afghanistan into its backyard.

"I have made it absolutely clear to my brother here that Pakistan has only one aim -- to assist Afghanistan and to assist my brother sitting here and his government in doing whatever he wants to do in Afghanistan," Mosharraf said.

"Our plan is his plan. We will assist him all the way on whatever he wants to do here."

The Afghan Premier said the Taleban’s five years rule over Afghanistan was just a short period in centuries of good Afghan-Pakistan relations. "We have buried that short period", Mr. Karzai said, describing Pakistan as a "good neighbour" and Mosharraf as a "very nice man" and a "gentleman".

"Sometimes there are disagreements between brothers, but I have no reason to believe we can't overcome those differences", the Pakistani President said.

However, and despite President Mosharraf’s assurances to establish "brotherly relations" with Afghanistan, many Afghan are on the opinion that Pakistan’s army and its notorious intelligence services ISI are still active, meddling in Afghan internal affairs.

Since the ouster of the fundamentalist Taleban, the Pakistani strongman has thrown his weight behind the U.S.-led war on terror and built close ties with Karzai's government.

"Though Pakistan, under pressure from Washington, has dissociated itself from its past policies of turning Afghanistan into a Pakistan’s satellite, but I think that it would return to old dreams as soon as conditions would change", Mr. Habibi told the Persian service of Radio France Internationale on Tuesday.

According to Mr. Habibi, Pakistan would never be satisfied with a secular, democratic government in Afghanistan and would do "all it could" to undermine such a government by mobilising and provoking religious and tribal forces it controls.

Answering journalists questions, both Mosharraf and Karzai said they did not know the whereabouts of Ben Laden and could only guess if he was alive or dead.

"He may be dead or alive, I don't know," Musharraf said, "But if you ask my view, maybe he's dead."

But Mr. Mosharraf said Pakistan had arrested a man believed to be Abu Zubaydah, a top lieutenant of Al Qa’eda’s leader, and handed him over to the United States.

Zubaydah would be the highest ranking Al-Qa’eda member in U.S. custody in the war on terror President Bush declared after the devastating September 11 attacks, and one U.S. official said: "We are virtually certain it is him."

Karzai and Musharraf said they would be making a joint effort to fight terrorism and eradicate opium poppy growing in their countries. Afghanistan is the world's leading source of opium, much of it refined in Pakistan.

Mosharraf arrived with Foreign Minister Abdol Sattar, Finance Minister Shaukat Aziz, Communications Minister Javid Ashraf, Information Minister Nisar Memon and Kashmir and Northern Areas Minister Abbas Sarfraz Khan.