Special envoys for Afghanistan meet in Germany

Special envoys for Afghanistan meet in Germany Munich - Special envoys for Afghanistan and Pakistan met Wednesday in the Bavarian city of Munich to discuss the formation of a contact group to deal with the region.

Envoys from 14 nations are taking part in the discussions, the aim of which is to improve coordination and act on the implementation of new strategies in the landlocked Asian nation.

Among those taking part are US special envoy Richard Holbrooke, Germany's Bernd Muetzelburg and EU special envoy Ettore Sequi.

At an international conference in The Hague on Tuesday, the United States presented its new strategy for Afghanistan, with an emphasis on reconstruction and on involving all key regional players.

Germany has pledged to play a greater role in training Afghanistan's security forces and continue with its civil reconstruction programmes.

Both the United States and the European Union have vowed to provide tens of millions of dollars to help organize the country's August elections, in which President Hamid Karzai is seeking a new term in office. (dpa)

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