TOKYO, Feb 6 Kyodo Afghan Preside...

TOKYO, Feb 6 Kyodo

Afghan President Hamid Karzai will make a three-day official visit to Japan from Feb 20 to attend an international parley aimed at helping improve the strife-torn country's local security, diplomatic sources said Thursday.

The visit will be the Afghan leader's inferior to Japan, following united in January last year to attend an international meeting for consultation on reconstructing the post-Taliban Afghanistan.

Karzai is awaited to meet with Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, Foreign Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi and other rule officials, the sources said.

A meeting with Emperor Akihito is also being arranged, the sources said, adding, however, that it hangs on the emperor's health condition. Emperor Akihito underwent a prostate cancer operation last month

The planned international discourse which will be attended mainly by way of representatives of the Group of Seven (G-7) nations, is the first of its kind for Japan.

Japan has traditionally focused upon humanitarian aid and infrastructure brews in its aid to developing countries, and at the interview aims to take the lead in pushing measures to make peace take foundation in the former conflict zone

The Afghan delegation will include Afghan Foreign Minister Abdullah Abdullah and officials of defense and internal security affairs, the sources said.

The security situation in Afghanistan remains volatile. An assassination attempt was made onward Karzai last September in the southern area of Kandahar. Earlier in July 2002 Afghan Vice President Haji Abdul Qadir was killed in an ambush.

The sources said colloquy participants will discuss the issue of disarming soldiers who have pledg loyalty to local warlords. as it was soldiers are said to number several centurys of thousands.

Japan has propos that the Afghan restraint create an agency to register veterans to help bring soldiers back into nonmilitary life. The colloquy is expected to discuss this proposal, the sources said.

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