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Afghanistan conference agrees to handover security duties to national forces

28 January 2010 19:27 (UTC +04:00)

Baku. Ziya Agazade â€“ APA. World leaders meeting in London on Thursday agreed on a timetable for the handover of security duties in Afghan provinces starting in late 2010 or early 2011, APA reports citing â€œAssociated Pressâ€.

In their final communiquÃ©, the leaders also pledged funds for a plan aimed at persuading Taliban fighters to renounce violence â€” but offered no specific figures.

The meeting backed Afghan President Hamid Karzai’s plan to reintegrate Taliban willing to "cut ties with al-Qaida and other terrorist groups and pursue their political goals peacefully."

It said handover of security responsibilities to Afghan forces in the country’s more peaceful provinces would begin "by late 2010/early 2011," with the Afghan National Army "conducting the majority of operations in the insecure areas of Afghanistan within three years."

The conference was called to help world powers chart a roadmap out of Afghanistan amid rising U.S. and NATO casualties and falling public support.

The 70 nations welcomed Karzai’s promise to crack down on corruption and said a summit in Kabul later this year would offer specific plans to bolster his faltering government.

"With regard to training and equipping the Afghan security forces, five to 10 years will be enough," Karzai told the BBC. "With regard to sustaining them until Afghanistan is financially able to provide for our forces, the time will be extended to 10 to 15 years."

International allies have said they will pledge at least $500 million for the reconciliation fund â€” officially known as the Peace and Reintegration Trust Fund, and dubbed the "Taliban Trust Fund" by some.

Thursday’s summit encouraged more contributions but gave no firm figure. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the United States would back it if insurgents pledge to eschew violence, renounce ties to al-Qaida and embrace democracy after more than eight years of combat.

Clinton said the "U.S. military has been authorized to use substantial funds to support the effort."