Trilateral peace talks to be held in Pakistan
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Xinhua, July 31, 2011
Top Afghan, Pakistani and the U. S. diplomats will meet in Islamabad on Tuesday to push for peace and reconciliation process in Afghanistan, Pakistan's Foreign Ministry said on Saturday.
U.S. Special Representative Ambassador Marc Grossman, Deputy Foreign Minister of Afghanistan Jawid Lodin and Foreign Secretary of Pakistan Salman Bashir, along with the military and intelligence representatives of the three countries will participate in the meeting, said a Foreign Ministry statement.
The Core Group has been established to promote the process of reconciliation and peace in Afghanistan.
The trilateral meeting takes place at a time when the U.S. has started phased withdrawal of its troops from Afghanistan. Several other NATO member countries have also announced gradual withdrawal of their forces and the process will be completed by 2014.
NATO forces have already transferred security responsibility to Afghan forces in five areas.
Taliban militants have also stepped up attacks on foreign and Afghan forces and government officials in recent days. Taliban had claimed responsibility for the killing of the brother of Afghan President Hamid Karzai, who was killed by his guard in Kandhar this month.
President Karzai used his speech at the funeral of his slain brother to appeal to Taliban to join the peace and reconciliation process, but Taliban rejected the appeal.
Sources said the meeting is likely to discuss the recent tensions along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. Pakistani army says that Pakistani militants have established bases in border regions of Afghanistan and launch attacks on Pakistani border posts and villages.
Afghan officials say that Pakistani forces have fired hundreds of rockets and artillery shells into Afghanistan and killed dozens civilians.
