United Nations Security Council ambassadors and envoys arrived in Kabul this morning for a three-day trip to assess the status of a $20 billion funding pledge to Afghanistan and meet with President Hamid Karzai.
The UN Security Council delegation, led by Ambassador Giulio Terzi of Italy, will assess efforts to improve security and rebuild a country which has been in a state of war for almost three decades.
At the Paris donor's conference on June 12, France's Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said around $20 billion had been pledged to fund development in Afghanistan, although the country initially sought $50 billion.
The delegation, which will also promote the role of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan, set-up in 2002, will assess the implementation of the Paris funding pledges.
Attacks by Taliban insurgents in Afghanistan's provinces bordering Pakistan have increased in recent months and Karzai has blamed Western forces, including NATO which operates under a UN Security Council mandate, for killing dozens of civilians in airstrikes this year.
Yesterday, US President-elect Barack Obama told Karzai he would make it a priority to fight terrorism and bring security in Afghanistan, but while still a candidate he also criticised Karzai for failing to tackle corruption and the drugs trade.
REUTERS