Hillary Clinton in Pakistan for Musharraf talks

[Ron Burgundy]

AFP - US senator Hillary Clinton arrived in Pakistan for talks with President Pervez Musharraf on Afghanistan and regional issues, officials said.

Clinton, a likely candidate for the 2008 presidential election, was part of a delegation of US senators that had earlier visited Afghanistan.

The talks in the eastern city of Lahore focused on the situation in Afghanistan, Pakistan-US relations, other regional issues and matters of bilateral interest, officials said.

Musharraf said a stable, strong and peaceful Afghanistan was in the interests of the region.

He reiterated Pakistan's continuing commitment to the fight against terror and to ensuring peace and stability in Afghanistan.

Musharraf also briefed the US senators about the Pakistan-India peace process and said that the peaceful solution of the Kashmir dispute would ensure lasting peace in South Asia.

The members of the US delegation appreciated the role of Pakistan in the war on terror, officials said.

Earlier Sunday, Clinton was in Afghanistan for talks with president Hamid Karzai.

Talks were due to focus on putting more troops into Afghanistan, rising tensions between Afghanistan and Pakistan, reconstruction, and women's rights, a top Afghan official said.

Clinton arrived there from Baghdad, where she said she doubted the United States or the Iraqi government could pacify the country.