Afghan leader to attend Zardari's inauguration

KABUL (Reuters) - Afghan President Hamid Karzai will attend the swearing-in ceremony of Pakistani president-elect Asif Ali Zardari, the Afghan leader's office said on Monday, in what is seen an attempt to make a fresh start in strained relations.

Afghan officials have repeatedly accused Pakistan's spy agency of secretly backing Taliban insurgents, and last month Karzai urged the world to target the Taliban in Pakistan.

Islamabad rejects the charge and says the Afghan government is trying to divert attention from its own failure to quell the Taliban insurgency.

Karzai earlier spoke to Zardari to congratulate him on his election and was invited to attend the inauguration of the Pakistani leader, his office said.

"President Karzai left Kabul for Abu Dhabi this afternoon to meet the president of United Arab Emirate and will fly to Islamabad to attend the swearing ceremony tomorrow," the presidential palace said in a statement.

Zardari, the widower of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto, swept a presidential election by legislators on Saturday, winning 481 of 702 electoral college votes to cement his hold on power in nuclear-armed Pakistan.

(Reporting by Hamid Shalizi, Editing by Sanjeev Miglani)