Pakistan must prove it wants end to Afghanistan war: US

Pak must prevent militants from hiding out on its soil and attacking Afghan border,says a top envoy.

Pakistan must prove that it wants an end to the war in Afghanistan by preventing militants from hiding out on its soil and attacking on the Afghan side of the border,the US Special Representative to Afghanistan and Pakistan,Marc Grossman,has said.

Grossman said at a news conference in Kabul that discussions among Afghanistan,Pakistan and the United States being held this week in the Afghan capital are important to coordinate efforts to find a political resolution to the nearly decade-long war,the Dawn reports.

They also are an opportunity to clearly convey to Pakistani officials that part of their responsibility for bringing peace is to stop supporting insurgent safe havens and those who attack Afghans and international forces in Afghanistan,he added.

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The United States wants the Pakistan Government to participate positively in the reconciliation process,and Islamabad now has important choices to make in this regard,a foreign news agency quoted Grossman,as saying at the news conference.

Michael Steiner,Germany’s special envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan,said at the news conference that the international community would not leave Afghanistan alone after 2014 when all foreign combat troops will leave the country or stay in supportive role.

“I think we have a realistic strategy and with this strategy we will cope with the issues and challenges and especially as we have agreement with international community,the engagement of international community is not over in 2014 but continues effectively,” Xinhua quoted Steiner,as saying.

Afghan Foreign Minister Zalmai Rasoul said that matters pertaining the on-going peace and reconciliation process in Afghanistan,regional cooperation,transition of security charge from NATO-led troops to Afghan security forces and international community’s supports towards Afghanistan beyond 2014 were discussed at the two-day International Contact Group (ICG) conference.