Leaders of the countries involved in the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan will meet on Saturday on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Lisbon to discuss further steps aimed at establishing peace and order in the war-ravaged country. Two major issues are to be discussed during the talks, NATO Spokesman James Appathurai said on the eve of the meeting. The first is the handing over of security in Afghanistan to the country's armed forces, expected to begin early next year and to be concluded by the end of 2014, when international combat troops are planned to leave the country. The second issue is the establishment of a long-term partnership between NATO and Afghanistan, which will help prevent a return to violence in the country. The alliance is ready to support the process of reconciliation between the Afghan government and moderate Taliban members, Appathurai said. UN Secretary General Ban ki-Moon and World Bank President Robert Zoellick are expected to take part in the talks. Naoto Kan, the prime minister of Japan, a major financial donor of Afghanistan's reconstruction, will also attend the meeting. Russian representatives will not take part in the discussions. The NATO spokesman said the alliance and Russia cooperate on the Afghan track within a special working group of the NATO-Russia Council.