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February 4-10
According to reports, the presidents of Afghanistan and Pakistan met in London on February 4 and have decided to urge the Taliban to enter into dialogue process. The meeting was facilitated by Britain. The leaders also vowed to peace settlement in six months in Afghanistan and that they supported an office in Qatar for talks with Taliban. 1 Meanwhile, reports noted that the UK Defence Secretary Philip Hammond paid an unannounced visit to Southern Afghanistan.2
In other developments, a new United Nations report on corruption in Afghanistan has found that $3.9bn, twice the nation's domestic revenue, was paid in bribes in 2012. The report, titled "Corruption in Afghanistan: Recent patterns and trends", released on February 8 found that though corruption had dropped nine percent since 2009, the amount paid in bribes has risen by 40 per cent. The report also states that most Afghans regard bribery as a fact of life. 3
- 1. Pakistan, Afghanistan, UK leaders urge Taliban to enter into dialogue, Dawn, February 4, 2013 at http://dawn.com/2013/02/04/afghan-and-pakistani-presidents-in-britain-fo...
- 2. UK defence secretary visits Afghanistan, Dawn, February 8, 2013 at http://dawn.com/2013/02/08/uk-defence-secretary-visits-afghanistan/
- 3. UN says bribe payment soars in Afghanistan, Al Jazeera, February 8, 2013 http://www.aljazeera.com/news/asia/2013/02/20132722057298162.html