Kerry and Kayani discuss US-Pak ties over dinner

United States Secretary of State John Kerry and Pakistan Army Chief Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani had a dinner meeting over the weekend to discuss a range of bilateral issues, including the Afghanistan security situation, the White House said on Tuesday.

The White House statement comes after the Pakistan Army in a statement said that the dinner meeting was held in Amman, where Kerry was travelling.

"On Sunday Secretary Kerry and Pakistani Chief of Army Staff General Kayani had dinner and they discussed a range of bilateral security issues, including combating terrorism, reconciliation process in Afghanistan and regional security," White House Press Secretary Jay Carney, told reporters.       

Kerry was in Kabul on Monday to reaffirm the US commitment to its strategic partnership with Afghanistan, Carney said.

He met with Afghan President Hamid Karzai and other Afghan officials, as well as with civil society groups, to discuss how they can continue to work together to sustain the progress they have made and to advance the shared goal of a stable, sovereign Afghanistan that is no longer a launching pad for Al Qaeda and other transnational terrorists, he said.

"The transfer of responsibility for the facility at Bagram has taken place, and we are continuing to work with our Afghan counterparts as we move forward with the president's policies on these issues," Carney said in response to a question, adding that the US has a very important relationship with Karzai.

 "Most importantly, we have a very important relationship with the Afghan people, the Afghanistan government," he said.