Washington, January 27 :US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has left for London to attend the crucial conference on Afghanistan to be attended by over 60 countries, including India which will be represented by Foreign Minister S M Krishna.
“This conference is about further understanding what (Afghan) President (Hamid) Karzai plans to do as he continues to form his government,” Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs P J Crowley said.
“It will be about reviewing various milestones and metrics that we are going to put in place so that we can, in fact, help the Afghan Government move forward with its ability to deliver services to its people,” he said.
Crowley said at the conference there will be efforts in terms of how the international community is going to be better coordinated, particularly on the civilian side of these reconstruction efforts.
“We’ll have discussions and announcements regarding – of how we will more effectively work together from a UN standpoint, from a NATO standpoint, from a national standpoint. So it is about how can – what kinds of activities are we going to be looking at and how we can best support the Afghan Government,” Crowley said.
“But at the same time, what are the mechanisms through which we’ll be able to evaluate this going forward and make sure that we can continue to see the Afghan Government meet its objectives.
It significantly includes battling corruption and improving the capacity of their various ministries to deliver services, and then at the same time, how we will expand this effort not only across the national government but at the regional and local level as well,” he said.
The London conference would also discuss the current situation in Yemen, he said.
“The first matter of business will be the meeting on Yemen to assist Yemen with its political and economic reform efforts,” Crowley said.
“Then on to the conference on Afghanistan to review an agenda outlined by President Karzai in his November 19 inauguration speech and implementation of our strategy and support of Afghanistan’s security, governance, and development,” he said.
Clinton will then move to Paris where she will have meetings with the French President and the Foreign Minister where they will talk about Haiti, Iran, Yemen, Afghanistan, and Pakistan, Crowley said. The Secretary of State will also deliver a speech on European security.
—Agencies