Afghanistan's neighbors agree to stick together in Paris meeting

Babacan told Turkish journalists prior to the meeting that 2009 would be an important year for Afghanistan because of further security measures and upcoming elections.

 

"The international community and the neighboring countries should assist Afghanistan to hold elections in a democratic environment and ensure democracy," he was quoted by Anatolian Agency as saying.

 

The Paris conference was aimed at finding ways to bring Afghanistan out of its seemingly endless state of war, and to urge neighboring states, in particular Pakistan and Iran, to play a more positive role.

 

Pakistan has been accused of not doing enough to prevent cross-border operations by Taliban insurgents. In recent weeks NATO convoys and their supply depots have been attacked within Pakistan itself.

 

The conference hosts want to involve more Afghans in work to stabilize the country, where 70,000 foreign troops under NATO and U.S. command are battling the resurgent Taliban and other extremist forces.

 

Since a U.S.-led coalition helped Afghan opposition troops overthrow the Taliban regime in 2001, the country has fallen back into the guerrilla conflict that so marred its recent history.

 

Many groups fighting foreign and Afghan troops in the south and east of the country have rear bases in Pakistan, and U.S. officials have accused Iran of shipping arms to some groups.

 

French officials had played down expectations of rapid progress, noting that little new in the way of policy can be decided until U.S. president-elect Barack Obama takes office on January 20.

 

Obama has argued that as the United States scales back its presence in Iraq more troops could be moved to the frontline in Afghanistan, but his wider political policy has not yet been revealed.

 

The envoys held a day of closed-door talks at French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner’s official out-of-town residence at La Celle-Saint-Cloud in the western suburbs of Paris.

 

Despite Iran’s decision to stay away, Afghanistan and its other neighbors China, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan were represented at the gathering.

 

Representatives of regional power India and U.N. Security Council heavyweights Britain, Russia and the United States also attended.

 

As G8 members with troops in Afghanistan, Italy and Germany were also present, as was Eide, EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana and external affairs commissioner Benita Ferrero-Walder.

 

The group was dine on Sunday at the foreign ministry, joined by representatives of Australia, the Netherlands, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Poland, Saudi Arabia, Spain, and the United Arab Emirates.