ISLAMABAD, June 23: Pakistan and Afghanistan on Friday agreed to a bilateral mechanism to effectively deal with terrorism and related issues that in the past had marred relations between the two countries.

The accord envisages quarterly meetings of the foreign ministers of two countries and frequent interaction between the heads of the two intelligence agencies.

The understanding was reached at a meeting between Foreign Minister Khurshid Mehmood Kasuri and his Afghan counterpart Dr Rangeen Dadfar Spanta who arrived here earlier in the day.

Addressing a joint press conference later, the two ministers sounded upbeat about the prospects of bilateral relations that had been in strain for some time.

Mr Kasuri termed Dr Spanta’s visit to Pakistan as a ‘good omen’ and said he had accepted his invitation to visit Kabul.

“There is no other foreign minister in the world with whom I’m going to have a meeting every quarter,” Mr Kasuri declared as he emphasised the need for more frequent interaction at a very high level to remove misgivings.

“We have agreed to use the telephone more and talk to each other personally rather than through media,” he said.

The Afghan foreign minister described the talks as ‘very open’ and said: “I hope that today’s discussions will be a turning point in our bilateral relations towards settling and removing all misunderstandings.”

He said they had extensive discussions on the issues of trade, commerce and also on bringing Pakistan closer to Central Asian Republics.

Dr Spanta opted to speak in Persian and let his interpreter do the translation. His explanation for it was: “In this very sensitive situation it is very important to speak in the mother language.”

In his opening statement, he said: “We agreed that to improve nature of relations between both countries, we have to prevail on terrorism and we sought the support of Pakistan on that issue and we sought their support to do more.”

Mr Kasuri’s response to Dr Spanta’s call was: “Yes, we will try to do more just as we have requested his Excellency to do more and asked the allied troops to do more.”

He said he had explained to Dr Spanta what Pakistan was doing in the fight against terrorism and added: “I explained to his Excellency that Pakistan has no motive whatsoever for destabilising Afghanistan.”

Mr Kasuri, however, said that there could be lapses on anybody’s part — the United States, Pakistan or Afghanistan.

“If it is a failure, it is a joint failure but failure is not an option,” he said and underlined the need for both countries to start trusting each other and put in place effective mechanisms to address issues.

He hinted at another mechanism they had agreed to, but did not disclose its details.

“The national self-interest of Pakistan demands that there be peace and security in Afghanistan which is our only route to Central Asia,” Mr Kasuri stressed.

Dr Spanta did not answer clearly when asked to elaborate on what Afghanistan expected Pakistan to do more. “Let us talk on positive things first,” he said, adding: “The nature of relations between the two countries is too vast and we can expand it for years to come to do more to extend our bilateral relations.”

In reply to a question, he pointed to the fight against terrorism and hoped that discussions on removing ‘misunderstandings’ would continue.

Asked if he was satisfied with steps taken by his government in the war against terrorism, he said: “We have great achievements in this area. Afghanistan today has established its control across the country, our police and security forces are alert.”

Dr Spanta assured that Afghanistan would not allow its territory to be used against Pakistan.

“We will not allow any country or any group to launch anti-Pakistan activities from Afghanistan. This is a commitment from our side to the people of Pakistan,” he said.

Answering a question if relations with India figured in the discussions, Dr Spanta said: “We have very cordial and friendly relations with India and also with Pakistan.”

Both the ministers were of the view that their ties with each other were independent of either countries’ relationship with India.

Dr Spanta rejected Pakistan’s proposal of fencing and mining segments of border with Afghanistan.

Citing the example of Germany and Korea, he said their experience showed that this was not a good idea and added: “I firmly believe that this will not succeed.”

Dr Spanta expressed gratitude for the assistance Pakistan had extended to the Afghan refugees and also appreciated its contribution to the reconstruction process in Afghanistan.

CALL ON MUSHARRAF: Referring to his discussions with President Pervez Musharraf in the morning, the Afghan minister said: “We agreed that extending our bilateral relations is good for all in the region.”

“Bilateral relations, particularly trade and economic as well as security cooperation came under discussion,” said a statement issued by the foreign office.

During the meeting it was agreed that security cooperation would be intensified and the Tripartite Commission as well as bilateral channels would be utilised for that purpose.

The president emphasised that both sides should continue efforts to improve relations.

AP adds: According to a government official, President Musharraf told Dr Spanta that some Afghans were training and arming local tribesmen in Balochistan. “He did complain about it,” said the official seeking anonymity.