Defense Secretary Robert Gates says it is probably too early for the Afghan government to persuade senior Taliban leaders to lay down arms, a report in The News said.

Gates said – the paper reported -- believes negotiations between the two will be necessary at some point to bring peace to Afghanistan. But for talks to work, the Afghan government must be in a position of strength and the Taliban convinced they are going to lose, Gates said.

Gates said: "I don't think we're there yet."

Gates is earlier said to have told a Congressional hearing that Pakistan now understands the Taliban presents an acute threat to its government.

"It really has been extraordinary in my view, seeing what Pakistan has done over the last more than a year - in terms of becoming engaged, in terms of their operations and in terms of understanding they now face an existential threat," he said.