US hopes the Loya Jirga would reaffirm partnership with it

WASHINGTON (PAN would reaffirm a strong US-Afghan partnership.

More than 2,000 people coming from across the country would participate in the four-day assembly scheduled to be held on Wednesday at the tent of Loya Jirga located at the Polytechnic area, where they would discuss the pros and cons of the proposed US-Afghanistan strategic cooperation agreement and a mechanism for peace talks with militants.

“We have great confidence that this Loya Jirga’s going to approve that strong partnership,” the State Department spokesman, Mark Toner, told reporters at his daily news conference in Washington.

A day earlier, the US ambassador to Afghanistan had noted that the grand assembly itself is a traditional Afghan institution for which the US has the utmost respect.

“The US and Afghanistan are close partners and allies,” Toner said in response to a question, adding: “The US has great confidence that the gathering is going to reaffirm the partnership between the US and Afghanistan.”

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