U.N. sees bubble-up Afghan solution

Rebuilding Afghanistan from the provincial level up will hasten the process of transition, a U.N. official said in Kabul. The Afghan government and members of the international community reaffirmed their commitment to the so-called Kabul Process. Afghan President Hamid Karzai in 2010 was a co-chairman for high-level meetings with U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. The conference endorsed almost two dozen programs meant to spur political transition toward a democratic Afghanistan. Michael Keating, U.N. deputy special envoy to Afghanistan, said in a statement that transition would success only through adequate investments in governance in the country. "The momentum around transition must be captured to fast-forward efforts to strengthen Afghan institutional capacity, especially at the provincil level," he said. The U.N. Assistance Mission in Afghanistan in its daily press roundup noted that peace talks with members of the Taliban are to begin in two months. UNAMA noted lawmakers haven't determined a venue for the talks, only agreeing they'd be conducted inside the country. The United Nations is busy reviewing a sanctions list containing members of al-Qaida and the Taliban to facilitate reconciliation, though talks with Taliban leader Mullah Omar and members of the Haqqani network aren't on the table.