Afghans must lead peace process, urges local MP

US Secretary of State John Kerry has spoken by phone with Afghan President Hamid Karzai to try to defuse tensions, an Afghan spokesman has told the BBC.

Washington and Kabul had disagreed over a new Taliban office in Qatar.

But the BBC has learned that Mr Karzai may now be willing to continue security talks with the US, which he had suspended in protest over the office.

Mr Karzai had also insisted that the Afghan government would not take part in peace talks with the Taliban unless the process was "Afghan-led".

Shukria Barakzai, an Afghan politician in Kabul, told BBC News that Afghan nationals must take the lead in negotiations - and not the United States.