Afghan Foreign Minister in Islamabad

Afghan Foreign Minister Rangin Dadfar Spanta, 9 Jul 2008Afghanistan's foreign minister has met with top Pakistani officials in Islamabad to discuss issues that affect both countries ahead of a visit by the new U.S. special envoy.The Pakistani foreign ministry says visiting Afghan Foreign Minister Rangin Dadfar Spanta met with his Pakistani counterpart, Shah Mahmood Qureshi, and with Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari. The ministry says they expressed readiness to strengthen their cross-border cooperation on fighting terrorism and militancy.The new U.S. envoy to Pakistan and Afghanistan, Richard Holbrooke, will visit South Asia next week as the Obama administration reviews its policy on the Afghan conflict.A statement from Pakistan's foreign ministry says Qureshi hopes what it called a "military surge" in Afghanistan will be paired with a politically and developmentaly-oriented surge.The United States says it is boosting its troop strength in Afghanistan by some 30,000 soldiers.