TOKYO - A trilateral meeting among senior diplomats from Afghanistan, Pakistani and the United States was held on the periphery of a 70-nation conference on aid to Afghanistan in Tokyo on Sunday.

The three foreign ministers, Special US Representative Mark Grossman, American Ambassador Ryan C. Crocker, Pakistani Ambassador Sadiq Khan and Deputy Foreign Minister Javed Lodin took part in the talks.

Hakim Asher, head of the Afghan government media centre, said High Peace Council Chairman Salahuddin Rabbani and President Hamid Karzai's Advisor Masoom Stanikzai were also in attendance.

After the hour-long meeting, Crocker told Pajhwok Afghan News that their discussions were focused on ties among the three allies, the ongoing war on terrorism and the region's economic development.

He said the centrality of Pakistan's role in the Afghan-led peace drive also figured at the maiden meeting of the three-way working group, which would see to it that the reconciliation effort was carried forward.

They would work jointly with Pakistan, which had an important role in bringing peace to Afghanistan, Crocker vowed.

"We are trying to evolve a mechanism that will enable Pakistan to exercise its influence and help stabilize Afghanistan." (Pajhwok)