German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle has praised the Afghanistan conference, held in London on Thursday, hailing the 68-nation meeting as a "decisive step towards increased Afghan leadership."

"From the German point of view the conference was a great success," he told journalists after the talks.

The fact that the Afghan government had set its own goals for its future development and received international backing for them was "important," he said, adding: "Perhaps it is the famous turning point."

Westerwelle said Germany, which on Tuesday announced that it would increase its contingent in Afghanistan by 500 troops, wanted to see "full responsibility for security handed over to the Afghan government by the end of 2014."

Taliban reintegration

At Thursday's conference, world leaders unveiled a raft of new plans to improve security and promote peace in Afghanistan.

The international community announced an immediate pledge of $140 million (100 million euros) toward a fund aimed at reconciliation in Afghanistan. The initial contribution will cover the first year and the figure could rise to $500 million, according to world leaders attending the conference.

"Today alone there have been over $140 million worth of commitments for the first year of the national reintegration program and we are committed to seeing that through," British Foreign Secretary David Miliband said.

"The intention is for some provinces to transition by late 2010, early 2011, on the road to meeting President Karzai's commitment that half of Afghanistan's provinces would have Afghan security leadership within three years, and the whole of Afghanistan within five," Miliband added.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai is focusing on a plan to woo members of the moderate Taliban back into mainstream society, offering them money, jobs and the chance of relocation, on the condition that they renounce their insurgency.

Transition to Afghan leadership

Germany said it would allocate 10 million euros per year for the plan, as part of the 430 million euros it intends to pledge to Afghanistan until 2014.

According to a statement from the conference, international aid for the Afghan government is to be increased by 50 percent over the next two years, as Karzai's government had requested.

"But this support is conditional on the government's progress in further strengthening public financial management systems, reducing corruption, improving budget execution, developing a financial strategy and government capacity towards the goal," the statement said.

The future of Afghanistan and Western military involvement in the war-torn country is to be the focus of a major international security conference next week in the southern Germany city of Munich. NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon and a host of leading officials from the international community are scheduled to attend the Munich conference.

glb/AFP/Reuters/dpa
Editor: Chuck Penfold