ROME, Jul 3, 2007 (Xinhua via COMTEX) -- The international conference on Afghan justice closed Tuesday in Rome, with an appeal for efforts to end civilian deaths in the war-torn country.
The rising toll on civilians is putting pressure on Afghan President Hamid Karzai, with demands for his resignation and the expulsion of foreign troops.
NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, who attended the conference, told reporters that NATO will reduce civilian casualties by improving its procedures and coordination with other forces operating in Afghanistan.
"NATO will do and has to do everything in its power to prevent civilian casualties ... and I wish to stress that we operate according to the same values and moral categories," he said.
In a major incident this weekend, Afghan officials said 45 civilians had been killed by an air strike, though the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force put the toll lower.
However, de Hoop Scheffer put the blame on Taliban militants, saying they mix and mingle with innocent civilians and are in a different moral category.
"We do not intentionally kill; they behead people, they burn schools, they kill women and children. Let us not forget," he said.
An Afghan rights group said this week that foreign air strikes had recently killed more civilians than the Taliban.
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, also at the Rome talks, said he had told de Hoop Scheffer privately that "civilian casualties (are) not acceptable."
In a speech, Ban said both Afghan and international forces had to "act strictly in accordance with international humanitarian law" to avoid discrediting their campaign.
The civilian casualties in Afghanistan were "strengthening our enemies and undermining our efforts," he said.
Italian Foreign Minister Massimo D'Alema said Tuesday that progress had been made in Afghanistan but "much remains to be done."
"The real sign of victory will be when each and every Afghan citizen has the right to a peaceful life in a democratic country," D'Alema said.
Italian Premier Romano Prodi said he had discussed the issue during pre-conference talks with the NATO chief and Karzai.
"This is a problem of the greatest urgency. Karzai and I discussed the coordination of international forces and Afghan security so that civilian deaths can be avoided as much as possible," said Prodi.
During the meeting, international donors pledged 360 million U.S.dollars to strengthen Afghanistan's judicial system.
Afghan President Hamid Karzai addressed the conference, saying the people of Afghanistan need an "accessible and efficient justice system which is free from corruption."
The two-day conference began Monday afternoon with representatives of 26 governments and international organizations. Its aim was to find ways of strengthening governance and establishing functioning rule of law in Afghanistan after years of violence.