Kabul conference backs Karzai's peace plans with Taliban

A major internat­ional conference in Kabul on Tuesday ended with an endorsement of Afghan President Hamid Karzai's plans.

A major international conference in Kabul on Tuesday ended with an endorsement of Afghan President Hamid Karzai's plans to make peace with insurgents in an effort to end a nearly nine-year war.

"Participants welcomed and endorsed in principle the Afghan government's peace and reintegration programme," said the final communiqué seen by AFP.

"The international community expressed its support for the president of Afghanistan's objective that the Afghan national security forces should lead and conduct military operations in all provinces by the end of 2014," said a copy of the final statement seen by AFP.

Karzai last month won approval from Afghan leaders to start peace talks with insurgent leaders and called on the international community to back his efforts despite at least initial skepticism from the United States.

Karzai's programme is open to insurgents, "who renounce violence, have no links to international terrorist organisations, respect the constitution and are willing to join in building a peaceful Afghanistan," the statement noted.