November 25, 2008	Tuesday	Ziqa'ad 26, 1429

KABUL, Nov 24: United Nations Security Council ambassadors and envoys arrived in Kabul on Monday for a three-day trip to assess the status of a $20 billion funding pledge to Afghanistan and meet with President Hamid Karzai.

The UN Security Council delegation, led by Ambassador Giulio Terzi of Italy, will assess efforts to improve security and rebuild a country which has been in a state of war for almost three decades.

At the Paris donor’s conference on June 12, France’s Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said around $20 billion had been pledged to fund development in Afghanistan, although the country initially sought $50 billion.

The delegation, which will also promote the role of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan, set-up in 2002, will assess the implementation of the Paris funding pledges.—Reuters