London, Jan 28, IRNA – Delegates from 70 countries and international organisations gathered for talks on the future of Afghanistan in London Thursday amid tight security.
The Metropolitan Police said that it had taken “all eventualities” into account when planning security for one-day international conference but was not prepared to comment on the arrangements or challenges posed by such a high-profile event.
Britain took the precaution of raising the level of security threat to ‘severe,’ indicating that an attack is ‘highly likely,’ but Home Secretary Alan Johnson insisted that the change was not specifically linked to any particular threat.
The extent of the police operation included the setting up of a media centre in Green Park, adjacent to the conference venue in Lancaster House, a former Victorian royal residence, where helicopters could be seen continually circling above.
The eventualities had also to deal with a protest rally organised by Stop the War Coalition (STWC), which was seeking to blockade the conference.
The international event was being held at foreign ministerial level. It was hosted by Prime Minister Gordon Brown, Afghan President Hamid Karzai and UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.