BAN KI-MOON TO ATTEND INTERNATIONAL MEETING ON AFGHANISTAN

BAN KI-MOON TO ATTEND INTERNATIONAL MEETING ON AFGHANISTAN New York, Mar 12 2008 10:00AM United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has announced that he will attend an international meeting on Afghanistan to be held in Bucharest, Romania, early next month.

Also in attendance at the 3 April meeting will be President of the strife-torn South Asian nation, high-level NATO representatives, non-NATO contributing nations of the UN-mandated International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) and representatives of key international organizations, such as the European Union (EU) and the World Bank, according to a statement issued by Mr. Ban's spokesperson.

In his latest <"http://www.un.org/Docs/journal/asp/ws.asp?m=S/2008/159">report to the Security Council on Afghanistan, the Secretary-General wrote that the country continues to face a number of serious challenges, including terrorism and a booming drug industry, and called for an integrated approach among all international partners to stabilize the fledgling democracy."The Taliban and related armed groups and the drug economy represent fundamental threats to still fragile political, economic and social institutions," he noted. "Despite tactical successes by national and international military forces, the anti-Government elements are far from defeated."
2008-03-12 00:00:00.000

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