RI TO BE INVITED TO LONDON CONFERENCE ON AFGHANISTAN

Jakarta, Jan 21 (ANTARA) - Indonesia will be invited to attend the London Conference on Afghanistan to be co-hosted by UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown, Afghanistan President Karzai and United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon in London on January 28, 2010.

Speaking in a luncheon meeting with some journalists here, Thursday, British Ambassador to Indonesia Martin Hatfull said Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa of Indonesia had a great deal of experience in uniting conflicting parties.

"We can see how the Aceh conflict was solved peacefully," he said, adding that Indonesia's experience could be an inspiring force for Afghanistan. The conference would at least function as a forum to exchange views and inputs on how to arrive at an acceptable solution.

However, the ambassador stressed that the purpose of the conference was to push forward the campaign in Afghanistan, to match the increase in military forces with an increased political momentum, to draw the international community's attention to the need for a clear set of priorities for the 43-nation coalition currently engaged in Afghanistan and the marshaling of maximum international efforts to help the Afghan government deliver.

According to him, the purpose could be a forum to deliver and coordinate support to enable President Karzai to meet the ambitions he had expressed in his inaugural speech. The London Conference would focus on security, development and governance, regional framework and internation architecture.

Building a stable and secure Afghanistan was a long-term plan with many challenges, but the international community was determined to continue to support the Afghan government to see its task through.

"We are committed to working with the government of Afghanistan to achieve our shared long-term goals," Hatfull said.

The plan is that the London Conference will be followed by an international conference in Kabul later in the year to present the Afghan government's commitments to the people of Afghanistan. There would then be a further international conference in early 2011.

Furthermore, he said, the series of meetings were expected to help the international community and Afghan government strengthen Afghan leadership, improve security and build a better future for the Afghan people.