Washington, March 17 (IANS) After delivering a blunt public warning to Pakistan to stop encouraging terror targeted at India, Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao has briefed top US officials about her talks with her Pakistani counterpart Salman Bashir in New Delhi last month.

Among others Rao met Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs William Burns and National Security Advisor General James Jones.

Rao briefed US officials about talks with Pakistan in the context of discussions 'focused on regional issues including India's neighbourhood', Indian officials said.

Stressing that Afghanistan presented the foremost security related challenge in the region, Rao 'reiterated India's long held position that it was important for the international community to stay the present course in Afghanistan for as long as it is necessary'.

'The US interlocutors conveyed their appreciation of the important developmental work being done by India in Afghanistan,' Indian officials said.

Rao's bilateral meetings 'with US interlocutors provided an opportunity to review the progress on various pillars of India-US Strategic Dialogue agenda including cooperation in defence, nuclear energy, counter-terrorism, agriculture, education, energy, space, cyber-security', the Indian embassy said Tuesday.

The two sides had instituted the Strategic Dialogue in July 2009 when Clinton visited India. External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna is expected to visit Washington soon for the first round of the Strategic Dialogue with Clinton.

State Department spokesperson Philip J. Crowley told reporters Tuesday that the Clinton-Rao meeting 'is part of the ongoing dialogue that we have with India on our strategic dialogue'.

Rao also met Under Secretary for Policy in the Department of Defence Michelle Flournoy, Under Secretary of State for Economic Affairs Robert Hormats and Under Secretary of State for Democracy Global Affairs Maria Otero.

Besides, she met House of Representatives' Democrat member Gary Ackerman and Independent senator Joseph Lieberman. She attended a separate breakfast meeting to interact with experts from prominent Washington think tanks.

Rao and Bashir held talks in New Delhi Feb 25 during which the Indian side gave three dossiers linking elements in Pakistan to various terror attacks in India and asked Pakistan to create a climate of trust by addressing Indian concerns over cross-border terror.

The meeting ended without a breakthrough, with India making it clear that the time was not yet ripe for resuming the composite dialogue. But the two sides agreed to remain in touch.

(Arun Kumar can be contacted at arun.kumar@ians.in)