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Islamabad Holds Fourth Round of US-Afghan-Pak Trilateral Talks

Islamabad Holds Fourth Round of US-Afghan-Pak Trilateral Talks

ISLAMABAD - Top Afghan, Pakistani and U.S. diplomats will hold trilateral meeting here later Tuesday to discuss peace and reconciliation in Afghanistan, officials and diplomats said.
The trilateral Core Group, which has been established to promote the process of reconciliation and peace in Afghanistan, has held three meetings, but they have not yet succeeded in encouraging Taliban to join the peace process.

U.S. Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan Marc Grossman and Afghan Deputy Foreign Minister Jawed Ludin have arrived in Islamabad to take part in the discussions. Pakistani delegation will be led by Foreign Secretary, Salman Bashir. The military and intelligence representatives of the three countries will also participate in the meeting.

Sources said that the recent tension along the Pak-Afghan border will be an important agenda of the meeting. An Afghan diplomat said the meeting will also discuss development projects that could benefit both countries. Some of the areas identified for such projects are communications, energy, water management and agriculture.

Afghan Foreign Ministry Spokesman Janan Musazai said on Monday in Kabul he is hopeful that the three countries will take decisive decisions to ensure lasting peace and security in Afghanistan.
The trilateral meeting coincides with Afghan Taliban's rejection of a possible truce offer by the UN and Afghan religious scholars.

Afghanistan National Council of Religious Scholars met President Hamid Karzai in Kabul at the weekend and appealed to all sides to stop fighting in Ramazan, which began in Afghanistan on Monday.
President Karzai had also launched appeal to Taliban to stop fighting in the holy month during his meeting with the ulema, according to a statement from the president's office.

The UN also launched a similar appeal on Monday.
"We call upon all parties to respect this month for the sake of stability, tranquility, peace and the reconstruction of Afghanistan," the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan said in a statement on Monday. (Xinhua)