No timetable for withdrawing troops from Afghanistan: NATO spokesman - Xinhua

KABUL, Nov. 8 (Xinhua) -- The spokesman of NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) said on Monday that no timetable has been set for withdrawal of coalition troops from Afghanistan.

"There has been no timetable yet," Brigadier-General Josef Blotz told a weekly press conference.

Regarding handover of security control to Afghan forces, he said, "We will not carry out according to a fixed timetable, it will be carried out based on conditions to be achieved over the next couple of years."

However, he noted that the most important condition for transfer of security control to Afghan side depends on the progress to build Afghan National Security Force (ANSF).

"In the upcoming NATO summit due on November 19 and 20 in Lisbon, the head of governments and states would discuss Afghanistan and ISAF particularly the transition of security to ANSF," he said.

He made the comments in response to media reports that the top commander of NATO and U.S. force in Afghanistan General David Petraeus has drafted a timetable for handover of security control of Afghan provinces to local security forces.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai in an international conference on Afghanistan held in July this year in Kabul outlined a program in which Afghan forces will take security responsibility of all Afghan provinces by the end of 2014.

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Parts of Afghanistan to be under local control by next year: Hillary Clinton

MELBOURNE, Australia, Nov. 8 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Monday announced parts of Afghanistan will be under the control of Afghan forces by next year.

Clinton touched down in Australia on Saturday as part of the AUSMIN (Australia-United States Ministerial) meeting, attended by Australian foreign and defense ministers, and the U.S. secretaries of state and defense, on Monday in Melbourne, Australia. Full story

Special Report: Afghanistan Situation

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Declaring a better city, a better life - Xinhua

BEIJING, Nov. 1 (Xinhuanet) -- Some participants at the Shanghai World Expo jointly summarized the "substantive achievements" of the 184-day event in a Shanghai Declaration, on Sunday, the last day of the Expo, pointing to its innovations as solutions in tackling the challenges of urban development.

The declaration was also "an expression of the shared aspirations of people around the world for a 'Better City, Better Life'". This came in a statement released at the Summit Forum, held on the sidelines of the Expo.

The forum was hosted by the Shanghai organizing committee, the United Nations, and the International Exhibitions Bureau and attracted nearly 2,000 people, including Chinese and foreign leaders, mayors of major cities in the world, business elites, and academics.

The participants came to a consensus that people's understanding and pursuit of a better life are the foundation and the engine of urban development, as was seen in the pavilion exhibitions and showcases of the best urban practices.

It is necessary to re-examine the relationship between people, cities and the planet, said the statement. The participants pledged to build cities with harmony among diverse people, between development and the environment, and between cultural legacies and innovations.

The declaration also proposed that Oct 31, the closing day of the World Expo 2010, be nominated as World Better Cities Day, in a bid to recall, renew and advance ideas and practices of the Shanghai Expo for future development.

At the forum's opening ceremony, Premier Wen Jiabao called the Expo a splendid event and a glorious chapter in Expo history.

Ban Ki-moon, secretary general of the United Nations, in a speech before members of the forum, called for a joint effort in tackling the growing urbanization challenge.

Wen spoke of the Expo bringing "together the Chinese people who wish to learn more about the world, and foreign friends who wish to know more about China" and said they have forged a strong bond of friendship.

Ban called China "a frontrunner in addressing the urban slum challenge and in embracing green technologies, renewable energy sources and green business models."

Urbanization with green technology, were the keywords of the day at the forum on Sunday.

"We must marshal the benefits of technology to harmonize the needs of people and nature. That's how we build a city of harmony; that's what lies at the heart of sustainable urban development," said Sha Zukang, the UN under-secretary-general for economic and social affairs.

Over the past six months, more than a thousand new energy vehicles were used in the 5.28 square-kilometer Expo Garden in a large-scale demonstration of 'zero emissions' transportation.

"Science and technology is not the only power to push economic development, but also the engine of urbanization and sustainable development," said China's Cao Jianlin, vice-minister of science and technology.

In addition, there were seven separate panel discussions with different themes on how to build digital, cultural, creative, sustainable, and livable cities.

 (Source: China Daily)

Special Report: World Expo 2010

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China bids farewell to successful Shanghai World Expo - Xinhua

by Xinhua writers Wu Chen, Liu Jie and Xu Xiaoqing

SHANGHAI, Oct. 31 (Xinhua) -- China staged a series of performances, parades and forums here Sunday to celebrate the end of the Shanghai World Expo, which International Exhibitions Bureau (BIE) President Jean-Pierre Lafon called an "astounding success."

The first of its kind staged in a developing country, the event attracted 246 participating countries and international organizations and 73 million visitors. Both figures are records in the history of expos, the first of which was held in London in 1851.

On an area of 5.28 square kilometers, the Expo Site has become a global village where people can not only see rare cultural treasures from around the world -- the bronze chariot and horse sculpture from China's Warring States period, the statue of Athena from Greece and French impressionist masterpieces, for example -- but also get a taste of the diversity of the world's cultures through more than 20,000 cultural events.

The gala is eyed in China as another event of national splendor after the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games showcased China's status as an economic and political power to the world.

It is also a milestone in both economic and social terms, bringing attention to the future of the planet, which is battling with poverty, war, pollution and energy shortages.

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao declared the closure of the Expo at a ceremony Sunday evening. Before that, he said at the Summit Forum on the sidelines of the Expo the success of the Expo has boosted China's confidence and resolve to pursue reform and opening up.

"The Expo has brought together the Chinese people wishing to learn more about the world and foreign friends wishing to know more about China. Thanks to the Expo, they have forged a strong bond of friendship," said the Premier.

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