Afghan unity talks set for Bonn

UN sponsored talks on the formation of a post-Taliban government in Afghanistan will start next week in Bonn, says the German Foreign Ministry.

The meeting will bring together representatives from four different Afghan groupings.

It hopefully unite them in a single grouping that would choose a provisional administration, the top UN envoy for the country, Lakhdar Brahimi, has said.

Though the talks will be hosted in Germany, the government said it is not expecting to take an active part.

"The conference is planned at the moment in such a way that it will be a purely internal Afghan meeting under the leadership of and hosted by the United Nations here in Germany," spokeswoman Sabine Sparwasser said.

Bonn was the capital of West Germany before it reverted back to Berlin after the reunification of the country in 1990. Berlin was also considered for the conference, Sparwasser said.