President Hamid Karzai on Monday left for a visit to Britain and Italy to discuss Afghanistan's economic development and other issues with the two important allies. Karzai is heading a ministerial delegation on the week-long trip, which will include talks with British Prime Minister Tony Blair and an audience with Britain's Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Charles, said government spokesman Rafiullah Mujaddedi. Traveling with Karzai were senior government advisers and ministers, including Foreign Minister Abdullah Abdullah and Interior Minister Ali Ahmad Jalali, he said. During a two-day stop in London, Karzai will meet with British Defense Secretary John Reid and other senior officials. Talks are expected to focus on British assistance for Afghanistan and future business cooperation between the two countries. An increase in Taliban-led rebel violence that has left more than 700 dead since March is also likely to be on the agenda. U.S. and Afghan officials have warned that the bloodshed threatens crucial legislative elections in September. Karzai is also expected to attend a gathering of Afghans living in the British capital, which is still reeling from terrorist bombings on its public transit system on July 7. The Afghan delegation will then travel to Italy to meet its leaders, Mujaddedi said without giving details. Mujaddedi declined to say exactly when the delegation would return to Afghanistan, citing security concerns, but added that the trip would last about a week. Britain and Italy have provided important financial, humanitarian and military support for Karzai's government, according to a report of The Associated Press.
