9 July 2008

Afghanistan: We renew our commitment to support Afghanistan. We, at the same time, strongly encourage the Afghan Government to assume greater responsibility for security, governance and reconstruction. We support the strengthened mandate of UNAMA and Special Representative of UN Secretary-General Kai Eide in their key role as overall coordinator.

We appreciate the role being played by ISAF and Operation Enduring Freedom, including its maritime component, in support of this effort. We will accelerate our assistance to build the Afghan National Army and Police and in other elements of security sector reform, including Disbandment of the Illegal Armed Groups (DIAG), justice reform and counter-narcotics.

We welcome the outcome of the International Conference in Paris in June and commit ourselves to working toward increasing aid effectiveness. We underscore our commitment to support presidential and parliamentary elections. We agreed to strengthen our assistance to the border region between Afghanistan and Pakistan as an integral part of our strategy to combat terrorism.