President Hamid Karzai expressed support 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.
Karzai is in New York to address the 67th annual meeting of the UN General Assembly.
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 speaking 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.”