Moscow Consultations Of Russian First Deputy Foreign Minister Vyacheslav Trubnikov And US Deputy Secretary Of State Richard Armitage On Afghanistan

The meeting of the Russian-American working group on combating threats from Afghanistan is being held in the Russian Foreign Ministry. First Deputy Foreign Minister Vyacheslav Trubnikov and US Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage head the Russian and American delegations at the talks. A joint communique is to be signed following the meeting, diplomatic sources told RIA Novosti. The consultations focus on the struggle against international terrorism, on the anti-terrorist operation in Afghanistan and on the future post-conflict settlement in the country. As is known, Moscow and Washington have similar standpoints on a future state system in Afghanistan. Russia and the USA believe this process should be carried out under the UN aegis and the future Afghan government should be formed on a broad coalition basis involving all ethnic groups. The last meeting of the working group was held in Moscow on September 19th after the terrorist attacks on New York and Washington. The sides reached the agreement on further boosting of the joint and parallel efforts on combating Taliban threats in accordance with Resolution 1333 of the UN Security Council. The sides stressed this struggle should not be a one off but it should have a well developed and permanent basis in order to destroy this world's evil.