No agreement on reopening of communication ground lines

US has not reached any agreement with Pakistan on the reopening of ground lines of communication, which were shut down in November following killing of 24 Pak soldiers due to a NATO cross border fire, the Pentagon said today.

It added that progress has been made on the talks in this regard which are still ongoing between the two countries.

"No agreement has been reached, but we do hope that this issue is resolved soon," the Pentagon Press Secretary, George Little, told reporters during an off-camera news conference.

"Discussions with our Pakistani counterparts are continuing," he added.

The issue also came up for discussion when General John Allen, Commander of US and NATO forces in Afghanistan, met Pakistani army chief Gen Ashfaq Pervez Kayani in Rawalpindi last week.

"I think the recent discussions with the Pakistanis have been very productive. They have been candid and both sides understand...the major challenges that we both confront," he said, but quickly added that there is no deliverables coming out of these discussions.

"But the discussions showed...we believe that we are reaching the point of greater equilibrium as we move ahead with our relationship with the Pakistanis," he said.

Responding to a question on reopening of the ground routes, Little said the two countries are making progress on this particular issues.

"It remains very important to us to reopen the ground lines of communication," Little said.