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Summary The US Special Representative Marc Grossman is reaching Pakistan later this week.
The US Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, Ambassador Marc Grossman is landing in Pakistan later this week. He is expected to follow-up on the discussion between Pakistani and US leadership on key bilateral issues during several high-profile meetings in Washington, DC and New York last month.The spokesperson of the US State Department, in a statement issued about the visit of the Special Representativen, said that Ambassador Grossman will continue our work with the Pakistani government to identify our shared interests and focus on actions we can take together.His trip builds on recent engagements, including Secretary Clinton’s meetings with Foreign Minister Khar in Washington and President Zardari in New York, as well as the recent U.S.-Pakistan Law Enforcement and Counterterrorism Working Group convened in Washington, DC on October 5, the statement noted.Foreign Minister, Hina Rabbani Khar had visited the US Capital, Washington, DC, in the first half of September and met US legislators and government officials - including Secretary Clinton and Senator John Kerry - to set the ball rolling for revival of the Pak-US relationship after a period of acrimony during the last 18 months or so.After the DC visit, the FM had joined President Zardari in New York for UN General Assembly. Secretary Clinton had called on President Zardari while both countries - with Afghanistan - had also taken part in a trilateral meeting to discuss reconciliation efforts with Taliban and the end of ongoing war.Later, Interior Minister Rehman Malik had also visited Washington, DC for a Pak-US working group meeting on Law Enforcement and Counterterrorism. The officials from both sides had hinted at continuing the engagement on both sides to streamline areas of cooperation and troubleshoot points of difference.Ambassador Marc Grossman will first travel to Turkish capital, Ankara - departing October 16 - before reaching Islamabad for the said talks. In Ankara, Ambassador Grossman will attend a meeting of the International Contact Group (ICG) for Afghanistan, the spokesman disclosed.This meeting of the ICG will focus on the status of Afghan and international commitments on security and development following the Chicago NATO summit and the Tokyo Conference. The ICG member countries also plan to discuss international support for transition planning and an Afghan-led political process, the stateement added.- By Awais Saleem, Dunya News correspondent in Washington, DC
