13:10/25:03:2010

The Pakistani foreign minister, currently on a visit to Washington , Wednesday said any peace initiative to put an end to the Afghan war should be owned and led by the Kabul government.

Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi's remarks come as the Afghan government reviews a peace plan proposed by the country's second largest militant group, Hezb-i-Islami Afghanistan , led by Gulbadin Hekmatyar.

"Now, it's their choice," Qureshi said, "If they feel we can contribute, if we can help, we will be more than willing to help, but we leave it to them."

At a joint news conference with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, following the US-Pak Strategic Dialogue, Qureshi said Islamabad wanted a "peaceful, stable and friendly Afghanistan ."

Last week, former UN special envoy to Afghanistan Kai Eide revealed he had met the Taliban leadership in different locations outside Afghanistan over the past one year, but the recent arrest of Taliban No 2 Mullah Baradar by Pakistani intelligence forces stopped a channel of secret communications.

Qureshi said he had invited his Afghan counterpart, Sr. Zalmay Rasul, for a "detailed discussion on the reintegration and reconciliation process" to Islamabad .

Clinton endorsed Qureshi's comment, saying the US and Pakistan reaffirmed their support for Afghanistan to help it "overcome violence and insurgency."

The US secretary said she was looking forward to the completion of a transit trade agreement between Pakistan and Afghanistan that the US believed would benefit both countries.

Qureshi, who co-chaired the Strategic Dialogue along with Clinton , said the Obama administration had agreed to prioritise a long-pending piece of legislation, which would facilitate tariff-free exports from designated areas in Pakistan and Afghanistan to the US .