Tuesday, 7 February 2012Pakistani Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani has arrived in Qatar for planned talks on a possible peace deal to end the 10-year war in Afghanistan.
Qatar's state news agency QNA said Gilani arrived in Doha for a three-day official visit to the Gulf country.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Abdul Basit told RFE/RL's Radio Mashaal that Gilani's visit will involve both bilateral talks with Qatari officials, as well as a broader discussion on Afghanistan.
Gilani's trip comes several days after Pakistan's foreign minister, Hina Rabbani Khar, returned from talks in Afghanistan saying Pakistan could help assist the Taliban and other insurgent groups launch peace talks.
Pakistan has been accused of hampering peace efforts in Afghanistan by assisting militants from the Taliban and Haqqani network.
A classified NATO report obtained by news agencies last week alleged that Pakistan's intelligence agency, the ISI, is "intimately involved" with helping the Afghan insurgency direct attacks against foreign troops.
The Afghan Taliban last month announced it was establishing a political office in Qatar, a move seen as progress toward direct peace talks. |
Tuesday, 7 February 2012
RFERL
|
|
