Karzai Meets Merkel Ahead Of London Conference

Afghan President Hamid Karzai and German Chancellor Angela Merkel (file photo)

BERLIN -- Afghanistan's President Hamid Karzai holds talks with German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin today ahead of a major international conference on Afghanistan.

Representatives of some 60 nations in London on January 28 will discuss a framework for handing over security to Afghan forces.

Ahead of the conference, Merkel announced that Germany is sending 500 more soldiers to Afghanistan to join the 4,300 already there to focus more on training Afghan forces.

She said Germany was not setting a deadline for withdrawing its troops, but officials have said Germany wants its soldiers to start coming home in 2011.

compiled from agency reports