Pakistan and Afghanistan agreed to meet US and Chinese officials in a bid to prepare the ground for fresh peace talks with the Taliban.
John Kirby said that Taliban representatives will not participate in the peace process.
The state department spokesman also said that a strategy will be decided as to how the reconciliatory process can be moved forward.
“The four countries will set the terms for the peace process”, Kirby said.
Pakistan hosted a milestone first round of talks in July but the negotiations stalled when the Taliban belatedly confirmed the death of longtime leader Mullah Omar.
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has recently pushed to strengthen ties with Pakistan in a desperate bid to restart the talks as the insurgency in his country expands.
