ISTANBUL: Afghan President Hamid Karzai, re-elected a week ago after a flawed vote, appealed yesterday for closer trade ties with fellow Muslim countries to help Afghanistan break its cycle of conflict.

Karzai met representatives of eight governments, including Turkish President Abdullah Gul and Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, on the sidelines of an economic summit held by the Organization of the Islamic Conference (COMCEC) in Istanbul.

"Afghanistan's interest is primarily in having close brotherly relations with its neighbors, freedom of trade and transit, and an effective environment of cooperation," he told a breakfast meeting before the formal opening of the summit.