In Istanbul, regional powers support strategy to reintegrate insurgents into Afghan society

Meeting in Istanbul yesterday, top international officials who support a safer, more secure and stable Afghanistan released a statement outlining their shared vision and principles of cooperation to support the process of dealing with the Taliban on the eve of a major London conference on Afghanistan. At the Istanbul Summit on Friendship and Cooperation in the Heart of Asia, hosted by President Abdullah Gul, the Afghan and Pakistani presidents and senior diplomats and government ministers from the UK, the US, Iran, Tajikistan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Russia and several representatives from international agencies supported Turkey's motto, "Regional cooperation starts from the region," in their Istanbul Statement. As they reiterated their commitment to continued support for the government and people of Afghanistan as they reconstruct their economy, the friends of Afghanistan stated that they support the Kabul government's program as set out by Afghan President Hamid Karzai in his inaugural speech last November. After a trilateral summit of Turkey, Afghanistan and Pakistan on Monday and following yesterday's regional gathering, Karzai said that military options are not enough to fight the Taliban. Karzai also said that his government's plan to reintegrate insurgents will become clearer at the meeting in London starting tomorrow. Turkey pledged $200 million last year for reconstruction in Afghanistan and is already spending it building schools, hospitals and roads.