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Pakistan ready to facilitate Afghan-Taleban talks

Islamabad - Aziz reiterated Pakistan's solidarity with Afghan people and hoped that the Afghan peace process would be resumed soon

Adviser to the Prime Minister on National Security and Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz while attending a high level event on the sidelines of the United Nations (UN) General Assembly said the peace and prosperity of Afghanistan was essential for Pakistan's own security.
Aziz reiterated Pakistan's solidarity with Afghan people and hoped that the Afghan peace process would be resumed soon, as this was an important pre-requisite for peace and stability in the country. He said Pakistan was ready to facilitate peace talks, if the Afghan government so desired. He said that Pakistan's efforts to persuade the Afghan Taleban to participate in peace talks should not, however, be interpreted as indirect endorsement of the current surge of violence in Afghanistan.
The event "Afghanistan's Peaceful Reconstruction and Regional Cooperation" co-hosted by Afghan Foreign Minister Salahuddin Rabbani, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and United States Secretary of State John Kerry was held on Saturday.
Participants of the event included Afghan Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah, Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Cevdet Yilmaz and the foreign ministers of Australia, Iran, Italy, Kazakhstan, Norway and European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy.
A number of delegations reiterated their pledge for long-term support for Afghanistan. They emphasised that "great games" of the past should be converted into the "great gains" for the future of Afghanistan.
- news@khaleejtimes.com