An Afghan peace delegation is traveling to Pakistan for talks on resolving the Afghan conflict.
The delegation headed by former Afghan President Burhanuddin Rabbani is expected to hold talks with Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari and other senior officials. The discussions are expected to focus on efforts by the Afghan government to initiate negotiations with the Taliban.
Afghan President Hamid Karzai has called for reconciliation with members of the Taliban who renounce violence, but exploratory peace talks with the militant group have not resulted in any progress.
Recent talks brokered by NATO officials collapsed after it was revealed that a man claiming to be a Taliban representative was in fact an imposter who had been paid to attend meetings with Afghan officials.
Pakistan backed the Taliban until 2001. Pakistani officials have admitted they maintain contact with some elements of the Taliban, but they say they do not support the insurgency in Afghanistan.
Afghan Peace Delegation Travels to Pakistan
![Former Afghan President and chief of a new peace council Burhanuddin Rabbani speaks during a news conference, Kabul, Oct 14, 2010.](https://gdb.voanews.com/59ef9f82-f0e7-4adf-9a8c-1dfc8d420105_w250_r1_s.jpg)