U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is set to head to Afghanistan next week for a major conference. Clinton will join tens of other foreign ministers in Kabul on July 19 to 20 when Afghan President Hamid Karzai will detail plans to boost governance, security and economic opportunity in the face of ongoing attacks by Taliban insurgents. U.S. officials want the meeting to highlight Afghanistan's drive to take on more responsibility for its future-one key point to U.S. President Barack Obama's pledge to begin drawing down U.S. forces in July 2011. Clinton will also hold talks in Pakistan, which is playing a key role in Afghanistan. She then heads to South Korea for talks on rising tensions with North Korea. The White House said U.S. President Barack Obama's national security advisor, General Jim Jones, was in Kabul for talks with U.S. Ambassador Karl Eikenberry and General David Petraeus, named by Obama as the new top field commander for Afghanistan last month.
