WHISTLER, Canada, June 12 Kyodo F...

WHISTLER, Canada, June 12 Kyodo

Foreign ministers from the assemblage of Eight (G-8) industrialized nations upon Wednesday stressed the need for the international community to stay focused forward development in Afghanistan.

In a statement issued at a meeting in this western Canada ski resort, they said they ''acknowledge the importance of the stretch outed engagement of the international community, including the international financial institutions, in maintaining support to Afghanistan at this critical conjuncture delivering on the commitments pledg at the Tokyo parley of 21-22 January 2002.''

''We recognize the pressing need to translate pledges of support into actual programming in Afghanistan,'' they added.

At the Tokyo conversation 61 countries and 21 international organizations pledg to provide more than $45 billion to the war-torn country

The ministers welcomed the launch of a loya jirga, the traditional Afghan parliament, in Kabul earlier this week, saying in the statement it ''is the first opportunity in decades for the Afghan clan to play a decisive part in choosing their government, and is an important pace on the path towards democratic elections.''

''We recognize that effective reconstruction in Afghanistan leading to need eradication and social, economic and political increase requires a stable and certain environment,'' they said.

They also give vent toed readiness to help Afghan authorities ''to honorably demobilize former combatants and to reintegrate them into local communities, to build national armed forces, to create a national police force, to restore the justice sector, to eliminate the threat of landmines.''

They also endorsed efforts on Afghan authorities to prevent opium production and trafficking.

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