Karzai Opens Kabul Conference, Calls for Increase in International Aid

Afghan President Hamid Karzai has inaugurated an international conference in Kabul and renewed a call for his country to control its own security by 2014, said media reports.

He admitted that Afghanistan had not yet achieved good governance and said that its allies faced ‘a vicious common enemy’, reports said.

Karzai made the remarks while addressing representatives from 70 states in Afghanistan’s largest aid meeting for three decades.

It may be mentioned that the US and its allies want assurance from Karzai that his government would crush corruption and promote good governance.

According to Reuters, the final communique from the conference is likely to say Afghan forces should begin taking security responsibility in some areas by the end of this year.

“Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) should lead and conduct military operations in all provinces by the end of 2014,” the news agency quoted the communique as saying.

In his address, Karzai asked the world community to hike up to 50% the proportion of foreign aid money that flows through the Afghan government, said reports.

Afghan president termed the conference as a ‘milestone in deepening international partnership’, reports said.

“We face a vicious common enemy that violates every Islamic and international norm to break our unity of effort.

“They would like nothing better than to create uncertainty, to force our publics to doubt our state power and our determination,” Karzai was quoted as saying in his opening remarks.

Karzai also called for more control of Afghanistan’s multi-billion dollar aid budget. Only about 20% of international aid is currently distributed via the Afghan government.

In return, Afghan forces would seek to take the lead on security throughout the country by 2014, he said.

A board would review which of the 34 provinces are ready for Afghan forces to take the lead on security operations from 2011 onwards.

To allow the withdrawal of some of the 150,000 Nato-led troops in Afghanistan, the army would have 170,000 soldiers by October 2011, and the police 134,000 officers. Up to 36,000 former militants would be reintegrated into the forces.

(Based on internet reports)