London Conference on Afghanistan started
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Security, good governance and development were high on the agenda at the London Conference on Afghanistan that started Thursday.
Related international and regional issues also were on the agenda of the conference, co-hosted by British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, Afghan President Hamid Karzai and United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.
Representatives from more than 60 countries and international institutions were present to align military and civilian resources behind an Afghan-led political strategy, which is expected to engage the Afghan people in defense of their country against divisive insurgency and in building regional cooperation.
The purpose of the conference is to deliver and coordinate support to enable Karzai to meet the ambitions he set out in his inauguration speech.
The conference is aimed at moving the international effort forward in three key areas -- security, good governance and development as well as regional and international support.
Brown said in his opening speech that "this is a decisive time for the international cooperation that is helping the Afghan people secure and govern their own country."
"For this conference marks the beginning of the transition process, agreeing the necessary conditions under which we can begin ... the transferring of responsibility for security from international forces to Afghan forces and Afghan people," Brown said.
The prime minister told the conference that more power would be handed to Afghan forces this year, noting that "it will take time but I believe that the conditions set out in the plan that we will sign up today can be met sooner than many expect and, as a result, the process of handover district-by-district will begin later this year."
Brown also announced an international fund to re-integrate Afghan Taliban soldiers.
The fund, Brown said, would finance an re-integration program to provide an economic alternative to those who have none. But for those insurgents who refuse to accept the conditions for re-integration, "we have no choice but to pursue them militarily."
