Bonn, Dec 5: A global conference in Germany to discuss Afghanistan's future beyond 2014 comes as the country faces political instability, an enduring Taliban-led insurgency and possible financial collapse following the planned drawdown of international troops and foreign aid.
About 100 countries and international organizations will be represented at the Monday gathering, with some 60 foreign ministers in attendance, among them US secretary of state Hillary Rodham Clinton.
The Bonn conference is expected to address the transfer of security responsibility from international forces to Afghan security forces over the next three years, long-term prospects for international aid and a possible political settlement with the Taliban.
"Our objective is a peaceful Afghanistan that will never again become a safe haven for international terrorism," German foreign minister Guido Westerwelle said.
