Hillary Clinton to Attend Meeting in Turkey for Talks with Afghanistan’s Neighbors
A senior US official has said US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will visit Turkey on Nov. 2 to attend a meeting for talks with Afghanistan’s neighbors to discuss ways forward for the war-battered nation. US special representative to Afghanistan and Pakistan Marc Grossman, who is on a visit to Turkey, told Turkish NTV broadcaster on Tuesday that Clinton positively responded Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu’s invitation and will be visiting Turkey on Nov. 2.
The latest similar gathering was in Oslo last Friday under Turkish and Norwegian auspices, where Afghan officials met diplomats from Pakistan, Iran, India and other key powers involved in the region.
The one-day Oslo meeting, facilitated by Norway and Turkey, included diplomats from the US and other permanent members of the UN Security Council, with 14 regional countries also attending.
The parties will meet again in the Afghan capital, Kabul, next week.
An Afgan official said the aim of the Oslo and Kabul meetings was to agree on regional cooperation, including how to tackle terrorism, extremism and narcotics in the region, before a Nov. 2 conference in İstanbul, where regional security and the transition in Afghanistan will be discussed.
04 October 2011,
SOURCE: TODAYSZAMAN.COM
