Afghanistan's President Hamid Karzai has said that signing of the strategic partnership agreement with India is not directed against any country. Winding up his two-day visit to India, he said, the strategic partnership agreement between the two countries had only put in words what they have been doing all these years.

In his third R K Mishra Memorial lecture in New Delhi, he said, India and Afghanistan have been engaged for past few years during which India has offered over 2000 scholarships for Afghan students, built roads and the Zaranj-Delaram Highway, raised power transmission lines from North Afghanistan to Kabul and built the Parliament building. He said under the strategic pact, India will train Afghan army and other security personnel.

Noting that India has never said no to anything that his country wanted, Karzai said, Afghanistan will not only not forget this but remain grateful to India forever. He said that his government will put before the Loya Jirga the decision to suspend holding talks with Taliban for bringing peace to the war-torn country.

Afghanistan President said that the reconciliation process has not brought the desired results. He said the issue of susupension of talks with Taliban will be put before the Loya Jirga to decide the future course of action.

Mr. Karzai dealt at length about the damage caused by terrorism in the country and the region and urged the leadership to rise to the occasion to deal with this menace. He advocated a free South Asian region where there is no restriction on the movement of people, goods and services.

The External Affairs Minister S M Krishna said that India will continue to assist Afghanistan in its reconstruction process and pledged New Delhi's full support to the war torn country in its rebuilding and reconstruction process.

The Afghanistan President held comprehensive talks with the prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh on a host of issues including damage caused by terror in the region besides intensifying strategic cooperation between the two countries during his two-day stay in India.