Bonn meet begins sans Pakistan

BONN: An international conference on the future of Afghanistan is underway in Germany.

The conference which aims at charting a road map ahead for bringing stability in Afghanistan, is expected to suffer a setback as the most important ally in fight against terror - Pakistan has refused to attend the conference to protest the NATO airstrikes on two border check-posts that killed 24 Pakistani soldiers.

President Barack Obama on Sunday expressed condolences to President Asif Ali Zardari for the deaths of 24 Pakistani troops, saying the Nato air strikes that killed them were not a ‘deliberate attack’.

Pakistan Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani on Saturday rejected US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s request to attend the Bonn Conference.

The international players are expecting a long long-term international engagement with Afghanistan.

The meeting assumes great significance as Western forces fighting in Afghanistan are scheduled to leave the war-torn country by 2014.

Foreign ministers belonging to over 90 countries are attending the Bonn Conference, which is expected to discuss sensitive issues regarding the withdrawal of US and NATO troop from Afghanistan, and entering into dialogues with the Taliban.