国际英语新闻：Afghan Foreign Minister to visit Pakistan on Thursday

ISLAMABAD, Jan. 26 (Xinhua) -- Afghan Foreign Minister Zalmai Rassoul will pay a two-day visit to Pakistan on Jan. 27-28 for talks on bilateral and regional issues, focusing on anti-terror cooperation, an Afghan diplomatic said here on Wednesday.

Izhar-ul-Haq Ahadi, Commercial counselor at the Afghan embassy to Pakistan, said that the Foreign Minister will hold talks with Pakistani leaders on bilateral and regional issues.

Officials said that the Afghan Foreign Minister will hold talks with his Pakistani counterpart Shah Mehmood Qureshi and is likely to call on President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani.

Sources said that the Afghan Foreign Minister is likely to share with Pakistani leaders the Afghan government's peace plan and to seek Islamabad's help for reconciliation efforts.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai in his speech at the parliament inauguration in Kabul on Wednesday underscored the need for Pakistan's role in the Afghan peace.

The top level delegation of the High Afghan Peace Council earlier this month met with Pakistani President Zardari, Prime Minister Gilani, the Army Chief, Gen. Kay ani, opposition leader Nawaz Sharif and religious and political leaders about the reconciliation efforts.

Pakistan insists that it would back Afghan-driven peace and reconciliation efforts but is concerned what it calls "Great Game" in Afghanistan.

Pakistani officials have not explained the terminology of " Great Game" in Afghanistan but some sources said Islamabad has reservations over the U.S. future policies in Afghanistan.

Sources said Pakistani leaders had conveyed their concerns over the "Great Game" in Afghanistan to the U.S. Vice President Joe Biden, who visited Islamabad this month.

There had been high level visits in recent weeks including the visit to Kabul by Pakistani Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani last month and followed by Army Chief General Ashfaq Pervez Kay ani and intelligence chief Lt. General Ahmad Shuja Pasha to Kabul.

Pakistani Foreign Secretary Salman Bashir also visited Kabul last week where he had a lengthy meeting with Afghan President Hamid Karzai.