ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Thursday welcomes the leaders of Afghanistan and Iran for a regional summit at a key juncture in peace efforts with the taliban and amid rising tensions between Tehran and Israel.
Afghan President Hamid Karzai arrived in Islamabad mid-morning, the Pakistan foreign ministry confirmed, for a series of talks with government and opposition figures on his second visit to the country in nine months.
Iranian leader Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was expected to arrive in the afternoon before formal summit talks on Friday, followed by a news conference.
Karzai's office said his talks with President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani would focus on expanding relations, economic ties and "enhanced cooperation" on ending 10 years of war in Afghanistan.
Soon after his arrival, Karzai went into talks with Gilani, Pakistan's army chief General Ashfaq Kayani and senior government ministers, officials said.
Pakistan says the trilateral summit will focus on cooperation on counter-terrorism and transnational organised crime including drug and human trafficking, border management and trade issues.
Pakistan says it is pressing ahead with a multi-billion-dollar project to build a gas pipeline to import fuel from Iran.
"There is no change or shift regarding the gas pipeline project and it is scheduled to be completed by 2014," said the official.
Copyright AFP (Agence France-Presse), 2012
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