Participants optimistic over conference on Afghanistan

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Source: CCTV.com | 03-31-2009 09:24

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Dutch Prime Minister, Jan Peter Balkenende and Afghan President, Hamid Karzai, have both expressed optimism ahead of a high-level conference on Afghanistan.

Dutch foreign minister Maxime Verhagen (L) and US special  envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan, Richard Holbrooke,  give a joint press conference in The Hague, following a  meeting prior to a UN conference for Afghanistanon due  to start tomorrow. An international conference on  Afghanistan to be held this week is a sign the world  is still interested in the country.(AFP/ANP/Valerie Kuypers)

More than 70 countries will take part in the conference which opens on Tuesday in the Hague. They include Afghanistan's neighbors and all nations contributing troops to the NATO-led international force fighting Taliban insurgents.