Afghanistan conference: John Kerry renews US commitments

US Secretary of State John Kerry has renewed US commitments to invest in Afghanistan and create a "powerhouse" region, after a conference in London.

Mr Kerry said he had faith in President Ashraf Ghani to create a "strong and prosperous" Afghanistan.

Mr Ghani was seeking guarantees from delegates that they would continue to invest after most foreign combat forces leave later this month.

"We will be with you every step of the way," UK PM David Cameron told him.
Addressing the conference later, Mr Ghani pledged to continue reforms, saying that "history will not be repeated, we've overcome our past".

More than a decade of conflict has left Afghanistan reliant on foreign aid.

Mr Ghani took over the presidency in September and vowed to bring peace.  The president sought endorsement at the conference for his plan for a "transformation decade" from 2015-24.

He also wanted guarantees that troop withdrawals would not be followed by cuts in financial aid.

Mr Kerry said after the conference: "We will continue clearly to invest in Afghanistan's growth."

He said the "vast proportions" of Afghanistan support the president's reform plan and said it was an "extraordinary moment of transformation".

He added that Mr Ghani had already made ground in repairing relations with Pakistan and fighting money laundering and corruption - a major sticking point between Afghanistan and its Western donors.

A group of British and Irish charities were at the conference to warn that a combination of cuts in their international funding and growing security fears among their staff threatened to reverse the progress that has been made.  Read More  at BBC