WASHINGTON - India and the United States have agreed to hold a trilateral dialogue with Afghanistan to support their development efforts in the war-torn country after US-led Nato forces leave in 2014.“We agreed to move forward with a formal trilateral consultation among our three nations (India, Afghanistan and US),” Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said at a joint news conference with Indian External Affairs Minister SM Krishna at the end of the Indo-US Strategic Dialogue on Wednesday.The decision for trilateral dialogue was set out in a joint statement issued after the third dialogue here co-chaired by Clinton and Krishna.Stressing “the importance of sustained international commitment to Afghanistan as it assumes full responsibility for governance, development and security,” the statement said they intend to seek “new opportunities” for consultation to “promote a stable, democratic, united, sovereign and prosperous Afghanistan.“To support their efforts in Afghanistan, they agreed to hold a trilateral dialogue with the Government of Afghanistan,” the statement added.Clinton and Krishna acknowledged that success in Afghanistan requires, in addition to building up Afghanistan’s capacity to defend itself, an Afghan-led and Afghan-owned reconciliation process.“They reiterated that success in Afghanistan and regional and global security require elimination of safe havens and infrastructure for terrorism and violent extremism in Afghanistan and Pakistan,” the statement said.Later at a press conference, Krishna said India, which is training Afghanistan’s security forces, was willing to cooperate with other countries to help it prepare to defend itself from terrorist forces which are constantly attacking it.However, he reiterated that it should be an Afghan-led process.Clinton, the statement said, “welcomed India’s hosting of the Delhi Summit on Investment in Afghanistan on June 28 in New Delhi and both leaders looked forward to the July 8 Tokyo Conference on Afghanistan.”“They intend to explore opportunities to work together to promote Afghanistan’s development, including in areas such as agriculture, mining, energy, capacity building and infrastructure,” it said.Krishna and Clinton also discussed the vision for enhanced regional connectivity through South and Central Asia and reiterated the importance of taking concrete steps to promote expanded private investment and trade in Afghanistan.“We very much appreciate India’s commitment to help build a better future for the Afghan people: helping them with more than USD 2 billion for development; supporting the New Silk Road Initiative; hosting the investment conference; providing security, training and support,” Clinton told reporters. “I am very pleased that Afghanistan is getting this kind of encouragement and tangible support because it’s in everyone’s interests that Afghanistan be as secure and stable as possible,” she said.Krishna said while India’s role has always been a very constructive, Afghanistan falls in its larger neighbourhood, with which it has civilizational, historical and trade connections and cultural ties During the talks, India also raised the issue of elimination of so-called safe havens in Pakistan. “They reiterated that success in Afghanistan and regional and global security require elimination of safe havens and infrastructure for terrorism and violent extremism in Afghanistan and Pakistan,” said the joint statement.Meanwhile, the US top diplomat praised the Pakistani and Indian prime ministers’ leadership towards improvement in relations between the two South Asian neighbours.“We also discussed the steps that the governments of India and Pakistan are taking to open up avenues for trade, investment, and movement of people,” Clinton said.“And I applaud the leadership that Prime Minister (Manmohan) Singh and Prime Minister (Yousuf Raza) Gilani have demonstrated,” she added. Agencies add: In the joint statement issued at the end of the Strategic Dialogue, India and the US reiterated their pledge to bring to justice those responsible for the Mumbai attacks. “They (Clinton and Krishna) reiterated their commitment to bringing to justice the perpetrators of the Mumbai terror attack in November 2008 and to comprehensive sharing of information on the investigations and trials relating to that attack,” the joint statement said. “They reiterated their commitment to further strengthening bilateral and multilateral counter-terrorism co-operation, including through intelligence sharing, information exchange, operational cooperation, and access to advanced counter-terrorism technology and equipment,” it said.India also sought more access to David Headley and his accomplice Tahawwur Rana currently in US jail, asking Washington to help bring to justice the perpetrators of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks.