ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Afghanistan will establish a joint commission of civil and military officials aimed at bringing peace to the region, Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said Thursday. “We have agreed that we will set up a two-tier joint commission at foreign ministers and senior official level,” Qureshi told a joint press conference with his Afghan counterpart Zalmai Rasoul in Islamabad. Rasoul arrived from Kabul in the morning for talks with top political leadership on ways to expand bilateral cooperation and to promote stability and reconciliation in Afghanistan. “The commission will have officials from foreign offices, military and intelligence services of the two countries,” Qureshi said, adding “officials will jointly engage with each other to achieve regional peace and security.” Taliban insurgents fighting against the Western-backed government in Kabul have rear bases in Pakistan, where Afghan and US officials say their leaders enjoy at least some measure of protection from Pakistan. Islamabad flatly denies collusion and says more than 2,420 of its soldiers have been killed fighting militants since 2002. Qureshi described his talks with Rasoul as “good and constructive”, which had been useful in “building trust and confidence” between the two countries. “We agreed in our discussions to jointly write a new chapter in our relationship,” he said, adding the two nations “ reiterated our commitment to eliminate terrorism.” “There is a sea change in our relationship and the two countries are moving in the right direction. There is more confidence, more trust and more comfort between us,” he said. Pakistan, Afghanistan and the United States are due to hold trilateral talks next month in Washington and Qureshi said the purpose of Rasoul's visit was to prepare for the meeting. Some Western officials and military leaders have promoted the idea of a deal with moderate Taliban in Afghanistan while the military offensive there continues. Rasoul said Taliban who gave up the insurgency and were not linked to Al-Qaeda could become part of the peace process. “They should also respect the constitution, believe in freedom of expression and womens' rights,” he added. – Agence France
