A conference that has brought together delegates from around 70 countries to raise billions of dollars in aid for Afghanistan has opened in Tokyo.

The government of Japan, which is hosting the conference, said prior to the start of the talks that it expected more than $16 billion dollars (13 billion euros) to be pledged.

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and Afghan President Hamid Karzai have agreed on an annual figure of $4 billion, which they believe the country will need in non-military development aid over the next few years.

The focus is on raising funds for post 2014, by which time the Western military alliance NATO plans to have withdrawn all of its combat troops.

Germany was to be represented at the conference by Foreign Minsiter Guido Westerwelle and International Development Minister Dirk Niebel. Prior to his arrival in Tokyo, Westerwelle announced that Germany would invest 430 million euros annually in reconstruction and development projects in Afghanistan for at least the first two years after the international combat troops have left.

The Tokyo conference follows a NATO summit in Chicago earlier this year, in which members of the alliance pledged billions of dollars in aid for the Afghan police and army, who are to take over full responsibility for security in the country, after the Western troops leave.

On Saturday, Afghanistan's military got a boost when the United States announced that it had declared it a major non-NATO ally. The new status, which was announced during a visit to Kabul by US Secretary of State Clinton, will make it easier for the Afghan armed forces to purchase American military hardware. Clinton made the stop in the Afghan capital before flying on to Tokyo for Sunday's conference.

pfd/ch (dpa, EPD, AFP)