Pakistan assures U.S. envoy of support for Afghan peace talks

ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Pakistan assured visiting U.S. special representative Zalmay Khalilzad on Tuesday that it would back a negotiated settlement with the Taliban to end the long war in Afghanistan, after President Donald Trump personally asked for Islamabad’s help.

Khalilzad, an Afghan-born veteran U.S. diplomat who served as George W. Bush’s ambassador to Afghanistan, Iraq and the United Nations, was named by the Trump administration three months ago as a special envoy to negotiate peace in Afghanistan.

His visit to Pakistan came a day after Pakistani officials confirmed that Trump had written to Prime Minister Imran Khan seeking assistance in moving peace talks forward. Khan said Pakistan would do whatever possible to help Washington negotiate with the Taliban.

Khalilzad arrived on Tuesday in Islamabad and called on Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, a foreign office statement said. It said the envoy reiterated Trump’s desire to seek Pakistan’s cooperation for peace in Afghanistan.

“The foreign minister assured the U.S. side of Pakistan’s steadfast support for a negotiated settlement,” it said. - Read More
Pakistan assures U.S. envoy of support for Afghan peace talks