John Kerry's fence-mending visit brings Hamid Karzai a step closer to Taliban talks The Taliban have so far refused to negotiate directly with the Afghan government, but have held a range of discussions with diplomats and think tank researchers at five star hotels in the emirate. A US official welcomed the planned trip, telling reporters travelling with Mr Kerry: "I wouldn't want to overplay it but I think that it's a very positive sign. It's another step on a continued path toward... getting to some sort of reconciliation process," he said. Hours before America's top diplomat touched down in Afghanistan, the US military sought to bolster Mr Karzai's negotiating leverage with the insurgents by transferring "all but a small number" of prisoners held at Bagram prison to local security forces. The transfer had been cancelled at the last minute two weeks ago amid American concerns that prisoners would be released to rejoin the Taliban and al-Qaeda. The prison, which came to be seen as emblematic of America's power in Afghanistan, carries a huge amount of symbolism. At the centre of prisoner abuse allegations, it has been a long-running source of tension. As a result, it became a central pillar of President Hamid Karzai's struggle to regain control of key matters before the US withdraws combat troops next year. American officials had feared the Afghans were too willing to release prisoners without extracting concessions from the enemy. A deal to hand the prison over to local security forces was finally brokered on Saturday in a telephone call between Chuck Hagel, the US secretary of defence, and President Karzai. The handover solved one thorny problem for Mr Kerry, but he still faces a difficult diplomatic challenge in repairing frosty relations that shore up plans for the withdrawal of US forces. He and Mr Karzai made a show of unity as they tried to draw a line under the Afghan leader's latest broadside, in which Mr Karzai accused the US of colluding with the Taliban to justify keeping troops on the ground. Managing President Karzai and his frequent bouts of anti-American rhetoric is crucial to the US strategy of withdrawing combat troops by the end of 2014. Tensions between the two countries have deepened recently over civilian casualties during air strikes and the transfer of prisoners. Two weeks ago, President Karzai launched a vicious verbal salvo against Washington, raising fears he was undermining efforts to see off militants. After their meeting, Mr Karzai said: "Today was a very good day." The brief visit is Mr Kerry's first as Secretary of State.