The US and Afghanistan have agreed to pursue multiple channels and contacts with the Taliban to achieve the goal of political resolution of the conflict and reconciliation. In a joint statement, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and her Afghan counterpart Zalmai Rasool said that officials of the two countries during their meeting emphasised support for an Afghan-led and Afghan-owned peace process, through which individuals and groups break ties with al-Qaeda, renounce violence, and abide by Afghanistan's Constitution, including its protections for the rights of all Afghan women and men.