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Top Afghan, US, Pakistani Military Officials Discuss Joint Security Measures

Posted on: Wednesday, 24 August 2005, 15:00 CDT

Text of report in English by Afghan independent Pajhwok news agency website

Islamabad, 24 August: Pakistan, Afghanistan and the United states have agreed on accelerating joint efforts to root out terrorism, secure the border between the two neighbours and ensure peaceful legislative elections in Afghanistan.

The announcement was made after senior military officials of the three countries met in Pakistan's Rawalpindi city, some 22 kilometres from here, on Wednesday.

The meeting was attended by Chief of General Staff of the Afghan National Army General Besmellah Khan, Pakistan's Vice Chief of Army Staff General Ahsan Salim Hayat and Lieutenant General Karl Eikenberry, Commander of the Combined Forces Command in Afghanistan.

The 12th meeting of the tripartite commission was the first one attended by four-star generals from Pakistan and Afghanistan. The session began with a series of briefings that focused on enhancing regional stability and tightening security measures adopted by Afghanistan, Pakistan and the US-led coalition ahead of the 18 September legislative polls in Afghanistan.

The parties noted recent improvements in cooperation and information-sharing and reaffirmed their commitment to Operation Enduring Freedom against Al-Qa'idah and other militant outfits.

They observed participation of General Besmellah Khan and General Ahsan Salim Hayat in the meeting signified an important step towards pursuing strategic dialogue and understanding between Afghanistan and Pakistan. The top military officials from the three sides also held separate meetings on the conclusion of the plenary session.

Delegates explored ways and means to strengthen military-to- military relationship between Pakistan and Afghanistan to ensure stability in the region. They also underlined the significance of the first bilateral Afghan-Pakistan staff exchanges which took place on 14 July 2005 in Kabul and 9 August 2005 in Islamabad.

Describing his meeting with Pakistan's Vice Chief of Army Staff as fruitful, General Besmellah Khan said his visit would help further cement ties between the armed forces of the two countries. He appreciated the warm welcome accorded to him on his arrival at the military headquarters.

General Besmellah Khan also visited the Daman-i-Koh tourist spot and the historic Shah Faisal Mosque in Pakistan's capital city of Islamabad.

Representatives of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) also attended the session as observers. All the three parties welcomed NATO and ISAF observers, saying they looked forward to their participation in future meetings as well for a more effective role in Afghanistan. The tripartite commission will meet again in October.

Source: BBC Monitoring South Asia

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