By Ian MacWilliam BBC, Kabul

Representatives of all the countries bordering Afghanistan have signed a declaration pledging to respect that country's independence and territorial integrity.

Foreign ministers and ambassadors gathered in the Afghan capital, Kabul, for talks and for the formal signing of the declaration.

This United Nations-backed conference - held on the first anniversary of the post-Taleban Government - is the latest move by the international community to strengthen the position of President Hamid Karzai.

Pakistan, Iran, China and three central Asian republics, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan, all signed the Kabul declaration on good neighbourly relations, reaffirming their commitment to support Afghanistan's territorial integrity and promising not to interfere in each other's internal affairs.

Weak position

Officials from the UN, Russia, the United States and the European Union were also present.

There has been a long history of foreign interference in this unstable country, as neighbours have tried to gain influence by backing one Afghan faction or another.

The Soviet occupation of the 1980s and Pakistan's support for the Taleban are just the most recent examples.

As President Karzai works to strengthen his weak position, the UN hopes that visible support from the international community will prevent Afghanistan from falling back into political chaos.