U.S.-Afghan Security Dialogue Promotes Security, Prosperity

25 September 2008

(State’s Negroponte cites progress, challenges in South Asian democracy)

By David McKeeby
Staff Writer

Washington — The United States is committed to a long-term strategic partnership with Afghanistan, says Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte, and is dedicated to supporting its democratically elected leaders and promoting security and prosperity.   

“We have made significant progress over the last seven years in Afghanistan,” Negroponte told journalists September 25 in a press appearance with Afghan Foreign Minister Rangin Dadfar Spanta and other senior leaders at the U.S.-Afghanistan Strategic Partnership Dialogue. 

President Bush and Afghan President Hamid Karzai established the strategic partnership in May 2005 as part of the wider U.S. effort to help Afghanistan’s fledgling democracy safeguard its citizens and build effective governing institutions, confront corruption and narcotics trafficking and rebuild the country after decades of conflict and years of oppressive Taliban rule.

Today, Spanta said, Afghanistan has a newly elected government and thousands of kilometers of new roads, as well as health clinics, a growing free press and schools where a new generation of Afghan children is acquiring the education and skills needed to continue the South Asian nation’s transformation.   

“[Our] strategy will be to build a strong government in Afghanistan on the base of the rule of law and on the base of human rights,” Spanta said.  “We are fully committed to this end.” 

But many challenges remain ahead, Negroponte said, most notably drug trafficking, terrorism and the continued threat from militants launching attacks from strongholds along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border. “The strategic partnership plays a crucial role in helping us chart our way forward to confront them together.” (See “Enhancing Afghan Security Forces Seen as Significant Challenge.”) 

Negroponte, a former U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan, also addressed recent incidents where Afghan civilians were caught in the crossfire of security operations.

“United States forces take every precaution to avoid harming any Afghan civilian during military operations,” Negroponte said, in sharp contrast to the Taliban and al-Qaida’s deliberate campaigns of intimidation and terror.

“We and our Afghanistan counterparts recognize the need to establish a mutually agreed-upon mechanism to minimize civilian casualties and to maintain the strong support of the Afghan people in fighting terrorism,” Negroponte said.

The United States has been the leading donor to Afghanistan’s recovery, delivering more than $31 billion in security, reconstruction, governance and humanitarian aid since 2001.  These funds support the priorities identified by Afghan authorities in the Afghanistan Compact and the new, five-year Afghanistan National Development Strategy introduced at the June 2008 International Conference in Support of Afghanistan.

Karzai, currently in New York for the annual gathering of world leaders at the U.N. General Assembly, will meet with President Bush at the White House on September 26.