Thaindian News

Berlin, Sep 7 (DPA) Germany and Britain announced a new initiative Sunday for an international conference on Afghanistan, to be held later this year after the outcome of the Afghan presidential election is known.
The gathering, at a venue still to be decided, would be held to discuss the best way forward for Afghanistan, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said in Berlin.

Speaking ahead of evening talks, the two leaders said the new Afghan government, NATO, the United Nations and countries with troops in Afghanistan would be invited to the conference.

Brown said the main topics would be security, training for the Afghan police and armed forces and how Afghans could play a greater role in the running of their country.

One of the goals of the meeting, which is also supported by France, is to prepare Afghanistan for the day when when the international troop presence starts to be drawn down.

With three-quarters of the vote counted in Afghanistan’s presidential election, President Hamid Karzai has edged closer to the absolute majority needed to avoid a runoff with his top challenger, Abdullah Abdullah.

Merkel called for a speedy investigation to determine whether any civilians were killed in the NATO airstrike that claimed at least 56 lives Thursday near the northern city of Kunduz.

A commander of German troops serving with the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) called the airstrike after Taliban insurgents seized two petrol tankers from a German base.

Some reports put the death toll at around 120, among them civilians siphoning petrol from the trucks, which had reportedly become stuck in sand and overturned.