Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton conceded Tuesday that U.S. relations with Afghanistan are strained but assured President Hamid Karzai that the U.S. will stand behind his country long after the last American soldier is gone.
A day before Mr. Karzai is to meet President Obama at the White House, Mrs. Clinton and other senior administration officials gathered at the State Department with their Afghan counterparts for talks on how to force the Taliban to end their insurgency.
The backdrop to the meetings is a rocky relationship between the Obama administration and Mr. Karzai, and Tuesday’s talks were designed to present at least the appearance of a partnership on the mend.
The Obama administration has criticized Mr. Karzai for tolerating corruption and drug trafficking in his government, while Mr. Karzai has accused Washington of failing to give him the support he needs to govern.
In opening remarks, Mrs. Clinton and Mr. Karzai stressed the positive but acknowledged that sharp differences have complicated efforts to stabilize Afghanistan more than eight years after the Taliban regime was toppled.
“The ability to disagree on issues of importance to our respective countries and peoples is not an obstacle to achieving our shared objectives,” Mrs. Clinton said. “Rather, it reflects a level of trust that is essential to any meaningful dialogue and enduring strategic partnership.”
Mr. Karzai, with Mrs. Clinton sitting at his side, also said it was natural for Kabul and Washington to see the situation differently even while working together toward the same goals.
“As two mature nations and two mature governments — by now the Afghan government is mature, too — we will be having disagreements from time to time,” Mr. Karzai said.
Mrs. Clinton’s pledge of a long-term U.S. commitment to Afghanistan reflects the administration’s realization that many Afghans see the war as a conflict pursued by the U.S. for its own interests — to forestall another terrorist attack on the U.S. Afghans fear the U.S. will abandon them once it achieves its objectives.
“We will not abandon the Afghan people,” Mrs. Clinton said. “Our civilian commitment will remain long into the future.”
Tuesday’s meetings focused on political as well as military conundrums, in particular Washington’s and Kabul’s efforts to come up with a common strategy for political reconciliation with foes of the Afghan government, including the Taliban.
Mr. Karzai has said overtures to the Taliban are crucial but stand little chance of success without the support of the U.S. and NATO.
It’s not clear how far apart the U.S. and Afghan positions remain, but the Obama administration has shown no sign that it is ready to make peace with top Taliban leadership.
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