London to host Afghan summit in January

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad and Tobago, Nov. 30 (UPI) -- London will host a world summit on Afghanistan on Jan. 28 to discuss plans for handing responsibility over to Kabul, said British Prime Minister Gordon Brown.

Brown spoke during a weekend meeting with U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, outlining a series of metrics and benchmarks that his country has for the beleaguered Central Asian nation.

The British premier described a series of milestones for the Afghan government, combining a political effort to restore legitimacy to the Kabul government with improving the capabilities of the Afghan national forces.

"The conference, therefore, will cover both our military and our political strategies, but concentrate on the political strategy for Afghanistan," he said.

His comments come as the international community awaits a Tuesday speech from U.S. President Barack Obama outlining the details of his long-awaited revision to the U.S. war strategy in Afghanistan.

U.S. officials began deliberating over war strategy prior to an international summit on Afghanistan in The Hague, Netherlands, in April. Brown is expected to describe his own agenda as early as next week.

Brown said the London summit would bring the international community together to find a new way forward for the Afghan conflict.

"We need a new relationship between Afghanistan and its neighbors," he said. "We must leave behind the mistrust of the past."