The 11th Tripartite Commission Meeting
held in the
Released by the Office of the Spokesperson Ministry of Foreign
Affairs
06/29/2005
Kabul, Afghanistan — The Tripartite Commission,
composed of senior military and diplomatic
representatives from Afghanistan, Pakistan and the
United States, held its eleventh meeting in Kabul,
Afghanistan today. It was Afghanistan’s turn to host
the latest periodic exchange of the commission.
Director General for Military Operations Maj-Gen
Mohammad Yousaf headed the Pakistani delegation,
Afghan National Army Chief of Operations Lt. Gen. Sher
Mohammad Karimi headed the Afghan delegation, while
Lt. Gen. Karl Eikenberry represented the Combined
Forces Command—Afghanistan.
Delegations agreed to further expand cooperation
in
advance of the Afghan National Assembly and Provincial
Council Elections on September 18, 2005. As a
demonstration of their commitment to improving
cooperation and information sharing, the parties
discussed steps to increase the effectiveness of the
Tripartite Commission and agreed to increasing the
frequency of the meetings and expanding Afghanistan -
Pakistan bilateral military contacts. The additional
steps discussed within the Tripartite Commission are
intended to improve the effectiveness of operations
against Al Qaeda and other terrorist groups, and to
enhance regional stability.
The three delegations provided comprehensive
presentations on recent operations and future plans.
All parties recognize the successes and sacrifices
that have been made to date by Pakistani, Afghan and
Coalition militaries in fighting terrorism.
All participants stressed the importance of stability
in Afghanistan, before and during the upcoming
Afghanistan National Assembly and Provincial Council
Elections. All parties are committed to increasing
security efforts in order to ensure the success of
these historic elections. They recognized, in
particular, that stability in Afghanistan is in the
national interest of Pakistan and other neighboring
states.
The Tripartite Commission will meet again
on 22 August
2005 in Islamabad.
