KABUL – Afghan forces should begin to take "security primacy" in some provinces by early 2011, according to a draft communique on the future of Afghanistan due to be unveiled at an international conference in London this week. The draft, a copy of which was obtained by Reuters on Sunday, said Afghanistan and the international community would agree to a "framework" for turning the country's security over to Afghan forces, with the process to begin this year. It commits to ‘an agreement that transition will begin in 2010 and that a number of provinces may transition to Afghan security primacy, with ISAF moving to a supporting role within them, by early 2011," referring to the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force. It emphasises efforts to persuade Taliban fighters to lay down their arms, committing Afghanistan to set up an organisation to "reach out to insurgents," and the international community to pay for the reintegration programme. International donors will commit to channelling more of their aid through the Afghan government and providing debt relief to Kabul, although precise figures were left blank in the draft. Afghanistan would also commit to setting up a transparent system for managing its mining and energy sectors, both potentially big money-earners for Afghanistan's aid-reliant economy. Meanwhile, Afghan election authorities said on Sunday they had postponed a parliamentary election due this year, removing a source of friction between President Hamid Karzai and his Western backers who wanted time for electoral reforms. Western diplomats applauded the decision to push the election to September 18 from May 22, saying it would provide time to implement changes designed to prevent a repeat of fraud that marred Karzai's own re-election as president last year. The date also means the election would fall after the traditional summer fighting season, giving an expanding NATO-led force more time to improve security in southern areas, where Taliban fighters kept voters from last year's polls. Independent Election Commission member Zekriya Barakzai said the postponement was due to "problems and constraints to get the proper budget, and also security concerns, logistical obstacles and also to improve the electoral procedures."
