U.S. Hosts Trilateral Meeting With Afghanistan and Pakistan

Following an unprecedented trilateral meeting between Afghan foreign minister Rangin Dadfar Spanta and his Pakistani counterpart Makhdoom Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced that it would be the first of regular three nation meetings.

The next meeting, she said, is tentatively scheduled for April or early May.

Clinton described the meeting as "in depth, specific, open and forthright and extremely useful." It was important, she said, for the nations to work as a team.

The meeting followed a series of bilateral discussions throughout the week between government and military officials from both countries and U.S. officials and a trilateral dinner hosted by Clinton Wednesday. Both ministers have been extraordinary, Clinton said.

Among those attending the meeting were General Richard Petraeus and Richard Holbrooke, President Obama's special representative to Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Holbrooke returned from an extensive visit to Pakistan, Afghanistan and India last week. The administration is in the process of conducting a comprehensive review of policy for the region and the input of both delegations was essential, Clinton said.