India to host international conclaves on Afghanistan

NEW DELHI (Pajhwok): The International Contact Group (ICG) on Afghanistan will meet in New Delhi on Thursday, a day before another meeting of senior officials of the countries involved with the Istanbul Process.

US Deputy Special Representative for Afghanistan-Pakistan Laurel Miller is scheduled to arrive in New Delhi to attend the two consecutive meetings on Afghanistan’s future.

 The back-to-back meetings are being held at a time when the US is mounting pressure on President Hamid Karzai to sign a vitally important Bilateral Security Agreement (BSA) that would shape presence of American and NATO forces in a post-2014 Afghanistan.
The conclaves will be the first multinational gathering of 2014 for Afghanistan, which will witness both security and political transitions over the next 11 months.

The ICG on Afghanistan and Pakistan is a bloc of 53 countries. It was initially launched as Special Representatives’ Group in 2009 and was later renamed as ICG on Afghanistan.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s Special Envoy on Afghanistan, S K Lamba, will represent India in the meet on Thursday, said official spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs, Syed Akbaruddin.
Foreign Secretary Sujatha Singh would represent India in the 10th meeting of the Istanbul Process on Afghanistan (also known as Heart of Asia process). Fourteen member states, 16 supporting members and 11 international organisations had been invited for the meet.

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