Brown looks long term for Afghan summit

LONDON, Dec. 15 (UPI) -- A January conference in London on Afghanistan will place coordination between Afghan and international forces on the agenda, the British premier said.

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown announced plans for a 68-nation conference on Afghanistan earlier this month. He described the agenda as one looking toward an Afghan future where national forces are working side by side with their international counterparts, London's Guardian newspaper reports.

"I hope the London conference (will be) able set out the next steps in a longer-term plan -- the balance between alliance forces and Afghan forces as their armed forces numbers rise from 90,000 to 135,000 and possibly 175,000 -- and of course on the future numbers, roles and tasks also of the police, intelligence services and local security initiatives," he told lawmakers.

Washington and its allies based success in Afghanistan on a strong national military capable of sustaining peace within its borders.

London expects 68 nations to send delegates to the conference, including the current members of the international coalition. German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Nicolas Sarkozy and U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton have pledged to attend.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai is expected to discuss ways to tackle corruption in his administration as well.

It is widely expected that the United Nations will also announce its replacement for Kai Eide, the U.N. special envoy to Afghanistan who announced his resignation earlier this month.