Kathmandu, Aug 22: Prime

Washington, Aug 22: Attaching importance to yesterday’s phone call by US President George Bush to his former Pakistani counterpart Pervez Musharraf, diplomatic and political observers in Washington have said that it demonstrated that Musharraf will be treated differently (by the US) than Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos or the Shah of Iran because he had a “better image” in the United States.

He is not seen here as corrupt as Marcos or as ruthless as the Shah, added the observers in Washington.

Washington  - As speculation continues to swirl over who Barack Obama will pick as his running mate, one of the top prospects, Virginia Governor Tim Kaine, joined the Democratic presidential candidate on the campaign trail Thursday.

Obama is in the middle of a two-day swing through southern Virginia, which has become one of the most hotly contested states in the country this election season.

Kaine, 50, joined a rally that played up Obama's economic policies in the southern town of Chester.

New York - The UN Security Council was to meet later Thursday to discuss the situation on the ground in Georgia, where Russia's armed forces continued their slow withdrawal.

The 15-nation council has two draft resolutions on the situation, from France and Russia, which both aim to resolve the brief war between Russia and Georgia, but with different goals.

France, which holds the current European Union presidency, demands an immediate ceasefire, a definite pullout of Russian troops and respect of Georgia's sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Amman  - The Jordanian government on Thursday urged the world's major powers to put pressure on Israel to halt its excavations at the Magharebah Gate in East Jerusalem, which the Jewish state captured from Jordan in the 1967 war.

Foreign Minister Salah Bashir met at his office for this purpose with ambassadors of the UN Security Council's five permanent member states, European Union countries and Islamic states accredited to Jordan, according to an official statement.

Beirut  - Lebanon's Foreign Minister Fawzi Salloukh said on Thursday that Israel's threats aim at hurting Lebanon's image.

"Who said that the cabinet has given the okay to Hezbollah to carry out any action against Israel?" Salloukh asked.

He said the situation south of the Litani River is stable where the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) is exerting "major efforts and there have been no complaints against Hezbollah."

Lebanon adheres to UN Security Council Resolution 1701, Salloukh noted.