Karzai meets Saudi king

by Rao Muhammad Aftab Sat Sep 17, 2011 4:34 pm

Updated at: 1205 PST, Sunday, August 28, 2011
RIYADH: Afghan President Hamid Karzai held talks with Saudi King Abdullah as he sought support to negotiate peace with the Taliban rebels in his war-torn country.

Karzai met with King Abdullah and senior officials in Riyadh at the king''s Janadriyah farm outside Riyadh.

"They discussed international efforts to achieve security and stability in Afghanistan as well as the prospects for cooperation between the two countries," local news agency reported.

Karzai was believed to be seeking Saudi help to persuade Taliban leaders into reconciliation talks, as well as asking for more financial aid for his country.

The meeting with King Abdullah came a week after Britain hosted a meeting of nearly 70 countries to discuss Afghanistan''s problems and seek ways to end the war between the the Taliban and Kabul and its Western backers.

Saudi Arabia agreed at the London conference to host a follow up meeting of Gulf and other donors to Afghanistan at the end of February.