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Good morning Ladies and gentlemen

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today in this meeting of the North

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Atlantic Council with ISaf Partners ,

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we will discuss transition in

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Afghanistan and our enduring commitment

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to Afghanistan . But before we

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begin , I would like to pay tribute to

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the service and the sacrifices of our

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troops in Afghanistan and to the

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members of the Afghan National Security

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Forces who worked alongside them every

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single day . Cooperation

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between coalition and Afghan forces

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takes a lot of trust and it has

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led to real progress slowly

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but surely our efforts are bearing

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fruit as Afghans gradually

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stepped forward to assume

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responsibility for their country's own

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security NATO and ISAF will gradually

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step back . Our role will continue to

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evolve from one of combat to one of

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training and support . But we will

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conduct combat operations throughout

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the transition period and at our summit

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in Chicago in May , we will reaffirm

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our determination to support

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Afghanistan through transition and

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beyond . This is a challenging

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task . But if Afghanistan is to be

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stable and secure , then our commitment

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must remain steady and resolute

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NATO . And our ISAF partners remain

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committed to helping afghans achieve

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the future they want because it's

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important for them for the stability of

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the region and for our own , for our

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own security . And with that ,

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I thank the press for joining us . Yeah ,