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27-03-09 Russia 'to aid Afghan fight'

Russia has said it is ready to increase co-operation with the Nato military alliance over its war in Afghanistan.Sergei Lavrov,Russia's foreign minister,told an international conference on Afghanistan in Moscow on Friday that his country was "ready to examine other kinds of constructive co-operation".Lavrov did not say what kind of assistance Russia might provide,but it already allows Nato to transit non-lethal material to Afghanistan through its territory.The hosting of the conference was seen as a sign of the Kremlin's desire to expand its role in the region.Moscow said it hoped the talks would help to improve the co-ordination of global efforts to combat Taliban and al-Qaeda fighters,as well as tackle drug-trafficking in Afghanistan(Aljazeera.net)