The Khyber Pass between Afghanistan and Pakistan.—File

OTTAWA Canada has brokered a deal to improve security along the porous border between Afghanistan and Pakistan, Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon said Tuesday.

Cannon made the announcement at a 72-country meeting on Afghanistan in The Hague, where all eyes were on the new US administration and its beefed-up commitment in the region.

The border has been a source of tension between the neighbours for generations - most recently with back-and-forth movements by insurgents.

`Canada has been hosting meetings between Afghan and Pakistani officials in Dubai since 2007 and the most recent meeting last weekend produced the agreement`, Cannon was quoted as saying by CBC Television News here Wednesday morning.

He said the plan identifies customs, movement of people, counter-narcotics and law enforcement as priorities, and that the countries will create working groups to tackle problems in those areas.

`Ultimately what we want is a functional border between two countries,` Cannon said.

The minister said he was encouraged by the new American approach to the region, including the idea of viewing Afghanistan and Pakistan as an integrated challenge.