Afghan President Hamid Karzai met with the newly-appointed US Secretary of Defence Leon Panetta late Saturday during his first visit to Kabul since taking office, officials said, according to dpa. The president and the secretary, who took office last week, talked about bilateral relations, joint counter terrorism efforts, transition process, equipping the Afghan national army and strategic relationship between US and Afghanistan, according to a statement released by the presidential palace. The meeting took place in Karzai's fortified palace in Kabul. Officials were reluctant to say how long Panetta would stay in Afghanistan.
