Toronto: Canada`s top diplomat has said
the recent jirga hosted by Afghan President Hamid Karzai
marked an "important step" in efforts to bring peace to the
war-torn nation.
"The recent peace jirga marks an important step in the
efforts toward conflict resolution in Afghanistan," Foreign
Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon said yesterday in a speech at
the University of Toronto.
"All Afghans who are dedicated to building a peaceful,
stable and prosperous future deserve our support," he added.
About 1,600 delegates from across Afghanistan`s political
and social spectrum, attended the landmark conference in early
June, aiming to bring an end to a near nine-year conflict with
the Taliban.
In his address, Cannon also said the Afghan government
must demonstrate its ability to provide improved governance
and security for its people within the next 12 months.
"The international community supports the ongoing efforts
to establish an Afghan-led national reconciliation and
reintegration process," he told a conference on Canada`s
Global Leadership at the Munk School of Global Affairs
at the university.
The foreign minister will attend the next international
conference on Afghanistan scheduled for July 20 in Kabul.
He described the next conference as "a key opportunity"
for Karzai and his government to show their readiness to
deliver on the commitments they made at the London Conference
in January.
PTI
