Karzai: Afghanistan aims to reduce burden on allies soon but needs sustained support

Karzai stresses Afghan aim to provide security

BERLIN — Afghanistan aims to reduce soon the burden on its allies of providing security, but Afghan forces will need long-term international support, President Hamid Karzai said Wednesday.

Karzai met with German Chancellor Angela Merkel on his way to an international conference in London on his country’s future. Merkel has announced plans to send more troops and step up training of Afghan forces.

“Afghanistan does not want to be a burden on the shoulder of our allies and friends,” Karzai said. “Afghanistan wants to soon be defending its own territory, its own people, with Afghan means.”

He welcomed German recognition of “the need to provide sustained support to the Afghan forces.”

Germany hopes to start reducing its contingent in Afghanistan next year but Merkel stressed that she isn’t setting a specific withdrawal date, because “we can’t predict developments” and Berlin doesn’t want to play into the hands of Taliban insurgents.

Merkel made clear it would be important to keep providing financial aid following an eventual international withdrawal, “because otherwise the Taliban’s hope might be that they can strike when police officers and soldiers are no longer paid properly and are no longer motivated.”

The German leader said she had made clear “that we want a transparent Afghan government” and that fighting corruption is a priority.

Corruption allegations have emerged as a key problem as Karzai seeks to restore public trust and turn back a resurgent Taliban.

The Afghan troop deployment is unpopular in Germany, which has some 4,300 troops in the country’s north. A poll of 1,002 people released Wednesday found that 79 percent oppose sending more soldiers.

It said 32 percent advocate an immediate withdrawal and another 24 percent would like to see troops out by the end of next year.

The poll by the Forsa institute for Stern magazine was conducted Jan. 20-21. It gave a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.

Karzai said that Germany has provided “extremely valuable assistance.”

“We in Afghanistan see the impact of that help,” he said. “It is unfortunately not felt as much in Germany, or in the U.K., or in the rest of the world.”

The conference in London begins Thursday.