May 17, 2002	Friday	Rabi-ul-Awwal 4, 1423

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ISLAMABAD, May 16: Minister for Finance Shaukat Aziz will leave for Tehran on Friday (today) to take part in a two-day conference on the reconstruction of Afghanistan.

Finance ministers of Pakistan, Iran, Afghanistan and representatives of the United Nations Development Programme will take part in the conference. The private sector of the three countries will also attend.

The objective of the conference, officials said, is to speed up rehabilitation efforts by the private sector of the three countries. The businessmen will also share their perceptions and resources for greater participation in the reconstruction work.

Pakistan has announced $100 million assistance for Afghanistan, out of which $10 million had been handed over to Karzai government. The rest will be transferred in three years.