Washington: US President George W Bush thanked Turkish President Abdullah Gul by telephone today for his efforts to promote greater cooperation between Afghanistan and Pakistan, the White House said.

"President Bush thanked President Gul for his commitment to a stable and secure Iraq as well as his ongoing work to promote cooperation between the leaders of Pakistan and Afghanistan," said spokesman Gordon Johndroe. The conversation came one day before Gul was to host a second round of talks aimed at easing tensions between Kabul and Islamabad, and shortly after Iraq's presidential council gave its blessing to a US-Iraq agreement on the future of US forces there.

Bush and Gul also "discussed the strong relationship between the United States and Turkey," said Johndroe. Today, Gul was to host Afghan President Hamid Karzai and Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari. The first summit was held in April last year which enabled Karzai and then Pakistani president Pervez Musharraf to discuss stepping up joint efforts for regional security.

Pakistan's northwestern tribal regions became a stronghold for hundreds of extremists who fled Afghanistan after the US-led invasion toppled the hardline Taliban regime in late 2001. The United States and Afghanistan have accused Pakistan of not doing enough to stop militants crossing the border to attack US and NATO troops in southern Afghanistan. Islamabad rejects the accusation and has mounted military operations against militants in the region.

Source : PTI