Afghan, Pakistani to meet in Istanbul

Representatives from Afghanistan and Pakistan will travel to Istanbul for a second round of talks to resolve a border dispute between the two countries that escalated earlier this month, the Associated Press reported, quoted by BTA.

Islamabad accuses Taliban authorities of failing to take action against Afghan-based Islamist militants who carry out cross-border attacks into Pakistan. Kabul denies the accusations.

Border clashes have intensified since October 10, with each side claiming to be responding to military provocations by the other. On October 15, Islamabad and Kabul agreed to a temporary ceasefire.

Late last week, the Qatari Foreign Ministry announced that Afghanistan and Pakistan had agreed to extend the ceasefire after talks in Doha, brokered by Qatar and Turkey.

The ceasefire has largely held, although the Pakistan-Afghanistan border remains closed. The only exception is for Afghan refugees from Pakistan.

The Afghan Chamber of Commerce and Industry said that traders in the country are losing millions of dollars every day because of the border closure.

A spokesman for the Taliban government said yesterday that the Afghan delegation to the talks in Istanbul will be led by Deputy Foreign Minister Haji Najib. "This meeting will discuss issues that have not yet been resolved", the spokesman said, without providing further details.

The Pakistani Foreign Ministry also commented on the upcoming talks in Turkey. "In the last two-three days, there was not a single major and full-scale terrorist attack prepared on the territory of Afghanistan", said a spokesman for the Pakistani diplomatic service. "So the talks in Doha and their results turned out to be fruitful. We would like this trend to continue in Istanbul and beyond,", the Pakistani spokesman stressed.