US' Holbrooke: ”Inside Afghanistan, no country in the ISAF is more important than Turkey”

Turkey is a very important factor in Afghanistan and its region, and in the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in the country, said US Special Envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan Richard Holbrooke yesterday. "I can think of no country in the ISAF alliance that has a role that is more important than Turkey's, in terms of operations inside Afghanistan," he told reporters in Washington. "We have the highest respect and attach the greatest importance to deepening our cooperation with Turkey. And it gives me a chance to thank the Turkish government and the Turkish people for their support and involvement." Asked whether the US has gotten any Turkish help in reaching out to the Taliban, Holbrooke said that contacts with the Taliban had not been a major subject between Washington and Ankara, adding that Turkish officials might know more about the matter.