US-led NATO troops must not withdraw from Afghanistan until local forces are able to ensure security for the country, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Sunday.

Lavrov told local television channel Tolo news it was a point of "international law" that the Afghan government must "possess the capabilities to maintain law and order" before international forces leave.

"The presence of the international stabilisation force in Afghanistan has been mandated by the UN Security Council. The mandate is clear. They must fulfill this mandate before they leave," he said.

After more than 10 years of war there are still about 130,000 troops fighting with the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force in support of the Afghan government against an ongoing Taliban insurgency.

Foreign combat troops are due to leave by the end of 2014 and increasing efforts have been made to train up the Afghan army and police to take responsibility for the country's security.

Meanwhile, Washington is negotiating a strategic partnership agreement with Kabul, and looking at the issue of permanent US bases in Afghanistan post-2014.

Lavrov said it was "strange" to insist on the withdrawal of troops while at the same time "Washington is discussing with Afghanistan very purposefully about establishing four or five military bases for the post 2014 period".

"We want to understand what the reason is for it and why this is needed. We don't think it would be helpful for the stability in the region," he said.

Pakistan's Zardari seeks 'meaningful' US relations
Islamabad (AFP) March 17, 2012 - Pakistan's president on Saturday vowed to engage "meaningfully" with the Unites States in comments ahead of a parliamentary session next week tasked with resetting the troubled relationship between the countries.

"We seek to engage meaningfully with the US on the basis of mutual interest and mutual respect", Asif Ali Zardari said in a televised address to parliament, describing the relationship as "multi-dimensional and important".

The joint session of Pakistan's parliament is tasked with reviewing and formally resetting the difficult ties with the US following what Zardari described as a "challenging year" in 2011.

The process is considered key to getting relations onto a more solid footing after US air strikes last November killed 24 Pakistani soldiers and brought the relationship to its lowest point in years.

The review is seen as a precursor to Pakistan reopening its Afghan land border to NATO convoys, which have been sealed since November 26, and a resumption of high-level American diplomatic visits.

We are looking forward to your recommendations for re-engaging with the United States," Zardari told parliament

The November 26 strikes capped a disastrous year for an alliance already seriously compromised by the covert raid to kill Osama bin Laden on May 2 and the detention of a CIA contractor who killed two Pakistanis in January 2011.

Islamabad closed its Afghan border and ordered US personnel to leave the Shamsi airbase, reportedly a hub for covert American drone strikes against the Taliban and Al-Qaeda in Pakistan's tribal belt.

Zardari also emphasised the "unique relationship" between Pakistan and China which he said was "deeply rooted and mutually beneficial".

"My eight visits to China are a manifestation of taking this relationship to new heights," he said.

China is the main arms supplier to Pakistan, which sees Beijing as an important counter-balance to its traditional rival India.

China meanwhile needs Islamabad's help in stemming potential terrorist threats in its far-western mainly Muslim region of Xinjiang, which borders Pakistan.