KABUL (AFP) - Afghan President Hamid Karzai said Saturday he is making progress in a key peace process aimed at convincing Taliban fighting his Western-backed government to lay down their arms. The Afghan President announced there has been progress in the reintegration process of the government opposition, a statement from his office said, in a reference to Taliban-led insurgents. The President said the reconciliation process implemented by the High Peace Council was continuing and the neighbouring countries role as well as the role of the international community is important for this process, it said. Karzai made the comments during a meeting with Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero who was paying a surprise visit to Afghanistan. Spain has about 1,500 troops in the US-NATO coalition, which has a total deployment of more than 150,000. Spanish Prime Minister Zapatero said Spanish troops were not there to stay. The mission in Afghanistan is an arduous task which demands time, he said at the Spanish base at Qala-i-Naw in western Afghanistan in comments broadcast on Spanish public radio. We are not here to stay but we have a firm commitment until the Afghans can guarantee their own security. When we achieve this they will have won a better future and we all will have gained a more secure future. Zapatero visited Spanish troops serving with NATO-led international forces, accompanied by Spanish Defence Minister Carme Chacon and Foreign Minister Trinidad Jimenez.