US State Department spokesperson Victoria Nuland. -Reuters File Photo

WASHINGTON: The United States favours direct talks between Kabul and Islamabad to address issues rather than the airing of public statements, the US State Department stressed.

State Department spokesperson Victoria Nuland noted that a trilateral meeting, being hosted by Turkey in Istanbul, would provide an opportunity for direct dialogue between President Asif Ali Zardari and his Afghan counterpart Hamid Karzai.

“This, we think, is a good opportunity for them to talk directly about issues of concern rather than sort of doing it by public statements,” she said at the daily briefing.

The spokesperson was asked to comment on Kabul's unsubstantiated assertion that the attack, which wounded intelligence chief Asadullah Khalid, was linked to Pakistan.

“Because as you know, we have long supported better dialogue between Afghanistan and Pakistan, particularly in support of Afghan-led reconciliation. So we hope that both sides avail themselves of this meeting, that the Turks are offering, to work through the issues,” she explained.

Opinion

Editorial

Border clashes
19 May, 2024

Border clashes

THE Pakistan-Afghanistan frontier has witnessed another series of flare-ups, this time in the Kurram tribal district...
Penalising the dutiful
19 May, 2024

Penalising the dutiful

DOES the government feel no remorse in burdening honest citizens with the cost of its own ineptitude? With the ...
Students in Kyrgyzstan
Updated 19 May, 2024

Students in Kyrgyzstan

The govt ought to take a direct approach comprising convincing communication with the students and Kyrgyz authorities.
Ominous demands
Updated 18 May, 2024

Ominous demands

The federal government needs to boost its revenues to reduce future borrowing and pay back its existing debt.
Property leaks
18 May, 2024

Property leaks

THE leaked Dubai property data reported on by media organisations around the world earlier this week seems to have...
Heat warnings
18 May, 2024

Heat warnings

STARTING next week, the country must brace for brutal heatwaves. The NDMA warns of severe conditions with...