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Afghanistan

My Lords, the noble Lord makes an important point about trying to get Pakistan’s co-operation. There have been recent meetings between Pakistan and Afghanistan to discuss a number of issues. The border between the countries is huge and one must bear in mind the difficulties that that in itself creates. It is a question of trying to build confidence on both sides so as to deal effectively with the broader issues. My right honourable friend the Foreign Secretary would be the first to say that we continue to make efforts to ensure that Pakistan is able to support the work going on in Afghanistan. When thinking of Afghanistan, it is important to think of the neighbourhood and to ensure that we are working with partners in it.