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Afghan President Warns 'Military Solution Alone' Not Viable

   VOA News 26 January 2010
   Afghanistan Pres. Hamid Karzai speaks at a news conference after talks
   in Istanbul with his counterparts Abdullah Gul of Turkey, and Asif Ali
   Zardari of Pakistan, 25 Jan 2010

Photo: AP

   Afghanistan Pres. Hamid Karzai, 25 Jan 2010

   Afghan  President  Hamid  Karzai  warned  Tuesday that military action
   alone cannot stabilize his country.
   Mr.  Karzai  spoke during a meeting of diplomats in Turkey, ahead of a
   major donor conference later this week in London.
   The  Afghan  leader  said  reconciliation  is  needed, especially with
   Taliban  members  who  are  not  affiliated  with  al-Qaida  or  other
   terrorist  networks.   He also stressed that economic development will
   play a crucial role in reconciliation efforts.
   Turkey  hosted  the  talks  with officials from Afghanistan, Pakistan,
   Iran,  China  and  Western  nations.  The countries issued a statement
   supporting  Mr.  Karzai's  proposal,  saying  it  was  "Afghan-led and
   Afghan-driven."
   Also  Tuesday,  some aid agencies demanded a radical change in the way
   funds and supplies are distributed in Afghanistan.
   The  agencies,  the British and Irish Agencies Afghanistan Group, also
   known  as  BAAG, said in a statement that lives are being lost because
   of "mismanaged or ineffective projects".
   The  group's  director  Abdul  Basir said aid money should be funneled
   into  Afghanistan  through  civilian  agencies  instead  of  the  U.S.
   military.
   Also, the International Committee of the Red Cross said Tuesday forces
   in  the  region  must  do  more  to  distinguish civilians from actual
   combatants.
   Meanwhile,  Afghan President Hamid Karzai has responded to claims by a
   top  U.S.  official that he is "not an adequate strategic partner" and
   that  the upcoming troop surge would make the country too dependent on
   American military forces.
   The  New  York  Times  published  the  warning from a diplomatic cable
   originally  sent  by U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan Karl Eikenberry to
   President Barack Obama.
   Mr.  Karzai said Afghanistan is a partner with the U.S. as long as the
   U.S.  respects  Afghanistan's sovereignty and decision making.  But he
   also  warned  Afghanistan  would  not  be, in his words, a "submissive
   entity to a foreign power."

   Some information for this report was provided by Reuters and AFP.

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