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Afghan conference to open in Bonn marked by protests,Pakistanâ€™s boycott

04 December 2011 02:33 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. Protesters took to the street in Bonn on Saturday, calling for an immediate conclusion of whatsoever military operation in Afghanistan, ahead of a conference on Afghanistan set to open next Monday in the west German city, APA reports.

The demonstration also turned against German armyâ€™s long term stationing on the foreign soil and demanded for the war-ravaged central Asian country to resume peace as soon as possible

The international conference on the security and future settlement of Afghanistan is slated to open on Monday. Delegates from some 85 countries and 16 international organizations, including UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, are expected to attend the meeting.

Sponsored by Germany and chaired by Afghan President Hamid Karzai, the conference is intended to work out a roadmap for Afghansâ€™ self-sustenance for economic development and peace after the NATO mandatory mission expire by the end of 2014.

The conference is overshadowed by the Pakistani boycott which has cast great doubts over whether it could come up with complete settlement.

Karzai, who arrived in Germany on Friday and held talks with German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle, will address the opening of the conference, which places primarily its agenda on shifting the responsibilities of maintaining security onto the Afghan government after the NATO mission expire in 2014 on schedule.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has said there was no solution through military conflicts for Afghanistan, but only through reconciliation could peace and stability be achieved.

Other important issues to be discussed will feature the future assistance to Afghanistan, keeping its economic development, striking armistice with the Taliban to realize eventual peace and regional stability.

Afghan Foreign Minister Zalmai Rassoul has called on the international community to further support his country after NATO mission ends by the end of 2014.

Pakistan, which has always in the forefront of fighting the Taliban, has said to pull out of the conference after its 24 soldiers were killed in NATO air strikes last week.

There are currently 140,000 foreign troops in Afghanistan, of which some 100,000 are from the United States. It is reported that the casualties of foreign soldiers stands at 2,820 during the past decade of NATO operations in Afghanistan.