KABUL - Any delay in the transfer Bagram jail inmates to local authorities would be a serious violation of a recent memorandum of understanding between Afghanistan and the United States, President Hamid Karzai said on Sunday.

Speaking to a US delegation headed by Special Envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan Marc Grossman, the president renewed his call for complete transition of the Bagram Detention Centre to his government's control.

A statement from the Presidential Palace quoted Karzai as stressing the need for the US military to hand about 600 prisoners still in its custody to their Afghan counterparts. The delay in the transfer of prisoners after Sept. 9 was a serious breach of the MoU, he insisted.

Referring to the Geneva Convention that allows the US to keep prisoners in its custody for a long time without charge, Karzai said: "Judicial officials will soon give their opinion on the conformity of the convention to Afghan laws.

"But continued detention of Afghans by Americans in their jails is in contradiction with the friendship and strategic accord between two countries," the president added.

The two sides also discussed the Afghan-led peace process and the role of neighboring Pakistan in reconciliation with the Taliban who are ready to renounce violence and recognize the constitution. (Pajhwok)