US-British talks on Afghanistan, Iran, Mideast

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton prepared to host extensive talks Wednesday with British counterpart and top ally David Miliband on Afghanistan, Iran, the Middle East and North Korea, a U.S. official said.

The talks come after Miliband told PBS television Tuesday that it was in Britain's "national security interest" to keep troops in Afghanistan as most anti-British terrorist plots had links with the region.

The U.S. television network had asked him what his government tells Britons who, opinion polls say, now form a majority in believing the seven-year U.S.-led war is unwinnable and wanting their troops pulled out.

Clinton and Miliband, who have set aside several hours of meetings, will discuss "bilateral issues as well as global issues, such as Iran, North Korea, Afghanistan and the Middle East," a U.S. official said on the condition of anonymity.

The official did not elaborate but President Barack Obama's administration has put efforts to stabilize both Afghanistan and neighboring Pakistan at the heart of the U.S.-led struggle against terrorism.

With 9,000 troops in Afghanistan, Britain is the second largest troop contributor after the United States, which has deployed an estimated 56,000 troops in the country. Both sides have increased their contributions ahead of national elections in August.

Britain is also a key diplomatic partner with the United States in efforts to halt Iran's sensitive nuclear programs, which both sides fear is aimed at building an atomic bomb.

London also supports the Obama administration's drive for a comprehensive Arab-Israeli peace, backing the creation of a Palestinian state living side by side in peace with a secure Israel.