Pak-Taliban Deal Will Help Both Countries: US

The 'peace deal' between Pakistan and pro-Taliban leaders of Waziristan, a tribal region bordering north Afghanistan, is in the "shared interest" of both the countries, the US has said.

"Afghanistan and Pakistan have a shared interest in seeing that the border area is not a safe haven for Al Qaeda or terrorists. Afghanistan and Pakistan are both threatened by Al Qaeda," State Department Spokesman Sean McCormack said in a briefing.

He said the US would keep an eye on how the deal is being implemented.

"We'll see how this agreement plays out. I know that this is something that is very important to President Musharraf in trying to get a handle on the situation... So we will see how the agreement is implemented," he added.