Int’l community hails Afghan reform agenda at London conference

LONDON, Dec. 5 (NsNewsWire) — The international community on Thursday welcomed Afghan President Ashraf Ghani’s reform agenda for his country at a conference in London, with more than 50 countries reaffirming their commitment to support Afghanistan’s security and development.

Britain and Afghanistan co-hosted the London conference to discuss Afghanistan’s future and international support for it after the withdrawal of NATO-led coalition forces by the end of 2014, reports Xinhua.

The conference was attended by Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, British Prime Minister David Cameron, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and many other senior leaders from around the world.

The Afghan government and the international community renewed their commitment to the Tokyo Mutual Accountability Framework (TMAF) set out at the Tokyo Conference in 2012, said a joint communique issued at the end of the conference.

They also reached consensus on a process to refresh the TMAF at next year’s Senior Officials Meeting (SOM) based in particular on the reform program and priorities of the new Afghan government.

Ghani outlined his reform agenda for Afghanistan, which provides a “credible framework” for improving security, political stability, economic and fiscal stabilization, advancing good governance, promoting the rule of law, and fighting corruption, among other goals, according to the communique.

“The Participants welcomed the Afghan Government’s plans to enhance productivity, increase its domestic revenue mobilization, to attract more private sector investment, and stimulate growth and employment opportunities,” it added.

For full story:http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/europe/europe/2014-12/05/c_133833919.htm