An international conference on Afghanistan to be held this week is a sign the world is still interested in the country, Richard Holbrooke, special US envoy in Afghanistan and Pakistan, said on Monday.Talking to reporters here, he said the men who planned 9/11, who attacked London or Madrid, who killed Benazir Bhutto and attacked the hotels in Mumbai were still in western Pakistan planning further attacks. "The Taliban are their protective cordon."
The meeting in The Hague on Tuesday (today) is a "signal that the world hasn't forgotten Afghanistan and now acknowledges that Pakistan is part of the issue," Holbrooke said.
He was speaking at a joint press conference with Dutch Foreign Minister Maxine Verhagen after the two had met for talks.
"It is also a message to the extremists... that they can give up," Verhagen added.
About 90 states and international organisations involved in Afghanistan will be present at the conference, being held under the auspices of the United Nations.
Afghan President Hamid Karzai arrived in the Netherlands on Monday, the Dutch foreign ministry reported. Among those also attending will be US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Muhammad Mehdi Akhoundzadeh.
"The presence of Iran here is obvious," said Holbrooke. "How can we talk about Afghanistan and exclude a boundary neighbouring state? This is absolutely clear, the most logical thing in the world."
But he would not say whether there would be contacts between the US and Iran. "We will see, I can't predict... this is a work in progress."
Holbrooke said the conference marked the transition from the policy formulation phase to the policy implementation phase, following US President Barack Obama's announcement of his new strategy for Afghanistan on Friday. The conference "is already a success," he said.