14 countries agree to cooperate on Afghan future

Fourteen countries including neighbours China, Pakistan and India agreed Wednesday at an international conference to cooperate in building the future of war-torn Afghanistan, a Turkish diplomat said. "An agreement was reached at a technical level," said the diplomat, naming the initiative as the Istanbul process, in order to build a secure and stable Afghanistan.
Among the 14 countries involved are Turkey, Iran, Pakistan, China, Russia and India, and several Arab states, said the diplomat. The initiative aims at helping Afghanistan in various areas including security, reconstruction, health and the fight against trafficking, the source added.