World leaders relieved Karzai safe, shocked by attacks

Kabul (Agence France-Presse): The world expressed outrage at the assassination attempt on Afghan leather Hamid Karzai and the bomb attack in Kabul and called for renewed efforts lo crush extremism.

Speaking hours after a gunman tried to kill Karzai in the southern city of Kandahar on Thursday. U.S. President George W. Bush's spokes-woman said the U.S. leader was relieved the Afghan president. escaped unhurt.

"He expressed his relief that President Karzai was safe. He is looking forward to meeting President Karzai in New York (next week)," said spokeswoman Claire Buchan.

British Prime Minister Tony Blair said he was "shocked" at the attempted assassination and the car bomb in central Kabul earlier in the day which killed 26 people.

The president of neighboring Pakistan, Pervez Musharraf, gave thanks to God that the Afghan leader had escaped a "cowardly" attempt on his life.

"We are grateful to Almighty Allah who has protected you from the cowardly attempt on your life by some renegade elements in Kandahar," Musharraf said in a message to his "dear brother."

India said the attempt on Karzai's life and the car bombing showed "that the forces of terrorism have not been vanquished."

Russia directly blamed the attacks on the Taliban and al-Qaeda network which the militia had shielded.

"The hand of the remaining Taliban and al-Qaeda agents dissatisfied with the positive transition in Afghanistan is obvious," the foreign ministry said.

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov went ahead with a visit to Kabul despite the heightened tension.

"We are shocked at the two terrorist incidents that occurred in Afghanistan and we express our strong condemnation," the Chinese foreign ministry said.

French President Jacques Chirac described the explosion near a busy market in Kabul as a "criminal act which cannot be justified".

UN Secretary General Kofi Annan's spokesman Fred Eckhard condemned both attacks "in the strongest possible terms."