The Taliban are warning that a meeting in London on Thursday will do nothing to help Afghanistan.
A statement posted on a Taliban Web site Wednesday dismissed the one-day international donor conference as a "waste of time."
Ministers from more than 60 countries are expected to discuss ways to defeat the Taliban and stabilize the country. Afghan President Hamid Karzai has also been trying to raise support for his plan to convince Taliban fighters to lay down their arms.
The Karzai plan has already won the backing of some key Western powers, including the United States.
But the Taliban statement said such a plan will fail because Taliban militants will not give up their cause in exchange for financial or economic incentives.
On Tuesday, a United Nations Security Council committee removed five former senior Taliban officials from its international terrorist "blacklist."
A U.N. statement said all five were high-ranking members of the former Taliban government but will no longer be subject to international travel bans, asset freezes and arms embargoes.
The Afghan government has been calling for an easing of U.N. sanctions on Taliban fighters who renounce violence and agree to support the government.
Afghan President Hamid Karzai has warned that military action alone cannot stabilize his country.
During a meeting in Berlin Wednesday with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Mr. Karzai said Afghanistan wants to gradually reduce the burden on its international partners.
The United States and other countries have more than 100,000 troops in Afghanistan, with additional forces on the way.
Source:voanews.com/
Showing posts with label Clinton and Karzai. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Clinton and Karzai. Show all posts
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Clinton and Karzai due in London
Afghan President Hamid Karzai and US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton are due to arrive in London ahead of a crucial conference on the future of Afghanistan.
The one-day meeting is intended to draw up a blueprint for Afghan forces to gradually take over responsibility for growing areas of their country, paving the way for the eventual withdrawal of international troops.
Prime Minister Gordon Brown, who is co-hosting the conference with Mr Karzai and UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, said that at least five Afghan provinces - and some districts of the lawless Helmand region - could be handed back to home-grown authorities by the end of this year.
But he has set no timetable for the return of British forces. With US President Barack Obama's "surge" of 30,000 American troops and Britain's deployment rising to 9,500, the international military presence in Afghanistan is reaching its highest level since the toppling of the Taliban in 2001.
Nato's new civilian representative in Kabul, British diplomat Mark Sedwill, on Tuesday predicted that the alliance will have troops in Afghanistan, probably including British troops, "for 10 to 15 years".
International troops would continue in a combat role for three to five years, before shifting their focus to mentoring Afghan soldiers, he said.
His appointment came as part of a wide-ranging overhaul of strategy and operations, focusing on tackling corruption, beefing up the national army and police and improving the lot of ordinary Afghans to prevent them turning to the Taliban.
High on the agenda at the conference will be efforts to reintegrate former Taliban insurgents into mainstream society.
Mr Brown said he expects announcements on the future size of the Afghan army and police. Mr Karzai has already accepted international targets to boost his army to 134,000 and police to 90,000 this year, and may go further.
Around 70 countries will be represented in London on Thursday, including those contributing troops to the International Security and Assistance Force, neighbours of Afghanistan and other regional powers.
Source:AFP
The one-day meeting is intended to draw up a blueprint for Afghan forces to gradually take over responsibility for growing areas of their country, paving the way for the eventual withdrawal of international troops.
Prime Minister Gordon Brown, who is co-hosting the conference with Mr Karzai and UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, said that at least five Afghan provinces - and some districts of the lawless Helmand region - could be handed back to home-grown authorities by the end of this year.
But he has set no timetable for the return of British forces. With US President Barack Obama's "surge" of 30,000 American troops and Britain's deployment rising to 9,500, the international military presence in Afghanistan is reaching its highest level since the toppling of the Taliban in 2001.
Nato's new civilian representative in Kabul, British diplomat Mark Sedwill, on Tuesday predicted that the alliance will have troops in Afghanistan, probably including British troops, "for 10 to 15 years".
International troops would continue in a combat role for three to five years, before shifting their focus to mentoring Afghan soldiers, he said.
His appointment came as part of a wide-ranging overhaul of strategy and operations, focusing on tackling corruption, beefing up the national army and police and improving the lot of ordinary Afghans to prevent them turning to the Taliban.
High on the agenda at the conference will be efforts to reintegrate former Taliban insurgents into mainstream society.
Mr Brown said he expects announcements on the future size of the Afghan army and police. Mr Karzai has already accepted international targets to boost his army to 134,000 and police to 90,000 this year, and may go further.
Around 70 countries will be represented in London on Thursday, including those contributing troops to the International Security and Assistance Force, neighbours of Afghanistan and other regional powers.
Source:AFP
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