Istanbul: World to chart Afghan roadmap today

Diplomats are campaigning this week for a stable Afghanistan after the planned withdrawal of international combat forces by the end of 2014, a goal imperilled by militant attacks, a weak Afghan government and the conflicting interests of regional players.

International delegates were converging on Istanbul on Tuesday before the conference on security and economic development in Afghanistan against a backdrop of high-profile assaults in Kabul in the last few months.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai and Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari met ahead of the regional conference on today amid tension over Afghan and US demands that Pakistan do more to curb militant activity and sanctuaries on its territory.

Karzai urged Pakistan to "move beyond words" and take concrete steps to curb militants which it said were a threat to both countries. They held their first talks since the assassination in September of Afghan peace negotiator Burhanuddin Rabbani.

Karzai urged "all countries in the region (to) cooperate with each other with honesty", in the face of threats, a statement from Karzai's office said. "If that happens, all countries in the region can overcome their problems."

Today's meeting on "Security and Cooperation in the Heart of Asia" will be attended by 14 regional countries: Afghanistan, China, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenisan, Uzbekistan and UAE. Germany, France and other Western countries with troops deployed in Afghanistan were sending envoys to show support.