Karzai: U.S. No Closer To Finding Bin Laden

WASHINGTON — In the hunt for Osama bin Laden, the American government and its allies have gotten nowhere lately, President Karzai of Afghanistan said.

"We are not closer, we are not further away from it," Mr. Karzai said ahead of his two-day summit with President Bush. "We are where we were a few years ago."

Mr. Karzai ruled out that Mr. bin Laden was in Afghanistan, but otherwise said he didn't know where Mr. bin Laden was likely hiding. Mr. Karzai's comments, in an interview on CNN's "Late Edition," were taped Saturday in Kabul and broadcast yesterday.

Mr. bin Laden, the leader of the Al Qaeda network, is believed by some to be living in the tribal border region of Pakistan.