Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Karzai reaffirms 2014 date for Afghan-led security

By Deb Riechmann & Rahim Faiez, Businessweek

President Hamid Karzai on Tuesday reaffirmed his commitment for Afghan police and soldiers to take charge of security throughout the nation by 2014 and urged his international partners to spend their money on Afghan priorities not "quick-impact" projects.

Afgan President Hamid Karzai (C), US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton (R) and UN chief Ban Ki-moon (L) pose following the International Conference on Afghanistan in Kabul, on July 20, 2010. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo)

Karzai spoke at an international conference on the future of Afghanistan where representatives of 70 nations and organizations were endorsing a plan for how Afghan security forces would eventually take charge, but it's still unclear when the transition would actually begin.

"I remain determined that our Afghan national security forces will be responsible for all military and law enforcement operations throughout our country by 2014" -- more than three years after President Barack Obama's date for the start of an American troop drawdown, Karzai said. "Our goal is to transfer the three organs for national security forces into trusted national institutes dedicated to fulfilling their constitutional duty of ensuring the integrity and security of our country."

NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said the alliance will never allow the Taliban to topple the government of Afghanistan. But he said that transition to Afghan-led security would be based on "conditions, not calendars."

Karzai also expressed his government's desire to take charge of more of its affairs. He asked his international partners not only to channel 50 percent of their foreign assistance through the government within two years, he urged them to align 80 percent of their projects with priorities that have been identified by Afghans.

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1 comment:

  1. Karzai should be grateful for what he gets - saying he wants this that and the other.....he'd have nothing without NATO/ISAF....our jobs would have been alot easier if he had not allowed corruption in the first place...the Afghans dont trust him..and yet we are going to give him more control on the money 'WE' provide....However, if that is the only way out, so be it!

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