Kerry, Karzai to have 3rd round of Afghan talks

Afghanistan's presidential spokesman says that US Secretary of State John Kerry will have a third round of talks with President Hamid Karzai on a bilateral security agreement with the United States and that work remains to be done before a deal is struck.

Spokesman Aimal Faizi said some contentious issues remain to be finalised and talks may be concluded by the end of today, though that remains uncertain.

Kerry began negotiations with Karzai in the morning, the second day of talks after he arrived late yesterday.

The US wants a deal by the end of the month, while Karzai wants assurances over sovereignty that have deadlocked negotiations in the past year.