According to NWFP Gov. Syed Iftikhar Hussain Shah, a six-point peace agreement between the government and the Mehsud tribe is in the final stages of being drafted. A 21-member Mehsud tribal delegation from South Waziristan led by Maulana Ainullah met with Shah in Peshawar.

Federally Administered Tribal Areas Secretary Mehmood Shah and South Waziristan political agent Ismatullah Gandapur also attended the meeting, during which agreement on all points of the peace plan was reached. Under the terms of the accord, Mehsud tribal leader Abdullah Mehsud and his aide Baitullah Mehsud will lay down their weapons and the tribe will cease sheltering Pakistani or foreign militants.

Instead they are to provide assistance to government security officials. The delegation told Shah that Baithullah Mehsud and his accomplices are ready to give up their weapons, adding that they have always been loyal Pakistani citizens.

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In an ominous sign of increasing Afghan instability, on Jan. 31 more than 1,200 supporters of Uzbek Gen. Abdul Rashid Dostum demonstrated in Mazar-e-Sharif to demand government action against those behind an assassination attempt on the warlord.

On Jan. 20 a suicide bomber attempted to assassinate Dostum as he came out of a mosque in his hometown of Shibergan after Eid prayers. As Dostum greeted his followers the suicide bomber, prevented by security from reaching Dostum, ignited his explosives, wounding several people. Dostum was unhurt.

The demonstration was organized by the People Council of Northern Provinces and included members of Dostum's Junbish-e-Milli party and representatives of other parties from Faryab, Balkh, Sar-e-Pul, Jowzjan, Samangan, Kunduz, Baghlan and Herat provinces. The demonstrators called on the government and the International Security Assistance Force coalition troops to arrest and prosecute those responsible for the attack.

Dostum, one of Afghanistan's most powerful warlords, has had an uneasy relationship with the government of President Hamid Karzai, as he seeks to retain his autonomy while resisting attempts to demobilize his armed forces. The demonstrators issued a resolution at the end of the meeting calling for the international community to intensify its fight against terrorism and narcotics and to apprehend those responsible for the assassination attempt.

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Jorn Holme, head of Norway's Politiets Sikkerhetstjeneste (Police Security Service, or PST) said that Norway in 2005 is a potential terrorist target. Holme made his comments as he presented a non-classified version of PST's 2005 threat assessment report for Norway, whichreported that both Norway and Norwegian interests abroad are considered by the PST as potential terrorist targets.

Holme gave the media a five-point list of priorities and characterized the PST's job as 90 percent prevention and 10 percent investigation. Holme said that the PST would give a higher priority to preventing recruitment by extremist Islamic groups. He also emphasized that contact between the PST and mosque imams was good, and that both sides were satisfied with their level of cooperation.

Holme said that the PST was also increasing its surveillance of radical animal protection groups and extremist right-wing networks, adding that the PST will continue its successful operation to prevent recruiting by the Vigrid neo-Nazi organization. "The action (against Vigrid) revealed a group containing a brew of racism, anti-Semitism, Norse mythology and misunderstood Christianity. After many of them were visited by us, they chose to withdraw from the network."

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Al-Qaida's tentacles extend into every corner of the Arabian Peninsula, even its more placid backwaters. Omani Information Minister Hamad bin Mohammed al-Rashdi said authorities have detained an unspecified number of people suspected of terrorist connections and did not refute media reports that more than 300 people have been arrested in the past month. Omani authorities say the suspects were plotting to attack a popular cultural festival.

Oman has acknowledged the detention of hundreds of nationals as the Sultanate cracks down on al-Qaida, but has released littler further information. Al-Rashidi said the increased security operation was meant to foil plots, noting, "We don't want to talk on this matter as it is an internal issue, and because we are not accustomed to defaming our citizens by publishing their photos in the media and highlighting their crimes and justifying the procedures taken by the government."

An Egyptian expert on militant groups Diaa Rashwan said, "These terror acts will continue in waves, and possibly reach countries that have so far been spared. Oman is an example, because authorities can crush cells, but the ideology survives -- especially with the situation in Iraq the way it is and the presence of U.S. forces in the region.''

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