Leaders pledge support for Afghanistan but demand reform

By Helen Maguire Dec 5, 2011, 18:23 GMT

Bonn, Germany - Officials from 84 countries pledged their support to Afghanistan for a 'decade of transformation' beyond the 2014 deadline for international troop withdrawal during a conference in Bonn on Monday. But they demanded reforms in return.

'This conference has laid the ground for a free, secure and prosperous Afghanistan,' said German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle, who hosted the conference in the former German capital.

Around 1,000 delegates - including 57 foreign ministers - agreed on political and financial support for Kabul, but no sums were named.

'This conference is not yet about very hard specifics. This is about establishing the principles which then become more specific through 2012,' NATO's Senior Civilian Representative in Afghanistan, Simon Gass, told dpa.

At the same time, Gass stressed that after the NATO-led troops had left, support for Afghanistan would cost 'a fraction' of current international expenditure - an assessment shared by Afghan Finance Minister Omer Zakhilwal.

Financial commitments are expected to be made at a follow-up conference in Tokyo, in July 2012.

'The Afghan people do not wish to remain a burden on the generosity of the international community for a single day longer than absolutely necessary,' Afghan President Hamid Karzai said in his opening remarks.

Ahead of the conference, the Afghan leader had proposed a figure of 5 billion dollars annually until 2024 to build up the police, army and state institutions.

The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), an association of 57 Muslim states, welcomed Monday's conclusions and expressed confidence that financial pledges would follow.

'What we have witnessed is an emerging consensus on helping Afghanistan. The international community has committed its continuing support,' OIC Secretary General Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu told dpa.

In return, Kabul pledged to implement reforms aimed at improving governance, fighting corruption, strengthening the electoral process and involving civil society in political decision-making.

'Despite significant achievements, Afghanistan needs to continue its work to strengthen state institutions and improve governance throughout the country,' the concluding document stated.

'Mutual accountability will be at the heart of commitments we make,' said US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, adding that reforms outlined by Karzai were 'heartening.'

'It is critical that we continue a fight-talk-build approach: going after al-Qaeda and their networks and allies, increasing the pressure on insurgents while supporting inclusive reconciliation and sustainable development,' Clinton added.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who attended the opening session, said it was up to the Afghans to resolve the issues of reconciliation and power distribution among all social and ethnic groups.

'I therefore ask you, President Karzai, that you use your political will and abilities to drive forward this political process, fight corruption and drug trafficking and thus improve living conditions for people,' Merkel said.

Meanwhile, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon warned that protecting civilians remained a key priority in Afghanistan.

'The Afghan people must see (NATO-led) ISAF as a true partner in the deepest sense and that begins with personal security,' Ban said.

He thanked ISAF for its 'dedication and courage' but warned, 'Incidents in which innocent civilians become casualties can only undercut our work and our ultimate goals.'

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov painted a bleak picture of the Afghan security situation.

'I don't think we've got much reason to be optimistic, because the situation in Afghanistan is disquieting,' he said, referring to continued assassinations, attacks against international and NATO troops, as well as tensions along the border with Pakistan.

'Several things have not worked. And there is still a lot of shade. But in some areas you can see light,' Westerwelle said at the conference's closing press conference.

Pakistan was absent in Bonn, in protest at a NATO attack last month which Islamabad said killed 24 of its security personnel.

'We would of course have benefited from Pakistan's contribution to this conference,' said US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton.

'Every neighbour has a stake in the future of Afghanistan. Every country loses if the country again becomes a source of terrorism and instability,' she added.

Clinton nevertheless welcomed comments made by Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, who said he envisaged continued cooperation between the two countries.

Meanwhile, Iran demanded that all international troops withdraw from Afghanistan, and criticized negotiations between the US and Kabul over the long-term presence of US bases on Afghan soil.

'We believe that Afghanistan's security challenges cannot be resolved by military means,' said Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi.

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