KABUL/WASHINGTON - President Hamid Karzai expressed support on Monday for continued dialogue with Pakistan over a political settlement to the Afghan conflict.
Meeting with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York, Karzai said Afghanistan would continue to engage with Pakistan.

"We will continue our joint efforts with Pakistan in support of the peace process until the anti-government armed opposition groups agree to negotiate," Karzai said during the meeting, according to a press statement released by his office.

The comments came amid rising tensions between Afghanistan and Pakistan over recent Pakistani military attacks on Afghan border areas.

Karzai in New York addressed the 67th annual meeting of the UN General Assembly on Tuesday. He is expected to meet with Pakistani and British officials on the sidelines of the meeting.

Senior Afghan officials are meeting separately with their Pakistani and US counterparts to discuss the peace process and recent Pakistani rocket attacks on Afghanistan.

A senior US official, briefing reporters in Washington, said the US supports talks between Afghanistan and Pakistan.

"The goal in the reconciliation effort is to get Afghans peaking with other Afghans about the future of Afghanistan," he said, speaking on condition of anonymity. "The most important piece of it is the Afghan ownership of this, and given that, then we're extremely supportive of this." (Pajhwok)