WEBVTT 00:01.090 --> 00:02.520 Good afternoon, everybody. Please have a seat. 00:04.680 --> 00:09.600 It is my pleasure to welcome President Karzai back to the White House, as well as 00:09.720 --> 00:10.680 his delegation. 00:11.290 --> 00:15.960 We last saw each other during the NATO Summit, in my hometown of Chicago — a city 00:15.960 --> 00:20.510 that reflects the friendship between our peoples, including many Afghan-Americans, 00:20.630 --> 00:22.690 as well as the Karzai family. 00:23.260 --> 00:24.930 So, Mr. President, welcome. 00:26.150 --> 00:28.180 We meet at a critical moment. 00:29.150 --> 00:35.010 The 33,000 additional forces that I ordered to Afghanistan have served with honor. 00:35.630 --> 00:40.790 They've completed their mission and, as promised, returned home this past fall. 00:41.870 --> 00:47.510 The transition is well underway, and soon nearly 90 percent of Afghans will live in 00:47.620 --> 00:51.460 areas where Afghan forces are in the lead for their own security. 00:52.550 --> 00:54.590 This year, we'll mark another milestone — 00:55.430 --> 01:00.100 Afghan forces will take the lead for security across the entire country. 01:00.950 --> 01:07.180 And by the end of next year, 2014, the transition will be complete -Afghans will 01:07.300 --> 01:12.100 have full responsibility for their security, and this war will come to 01:12.220 --> 01:13.300 a responsible end. 01:14.630 --> 01:19.070 This progress is only possible because of the incredible sacrifices of our troops 01:19.320 --> 01:26.270 and our diplomats, the forces of our many coalition partners, and the Afghan people 01:26.740 --> 01:28.540 who've endured extraordinary hardship. 01:29.380 --> 01:34.180 In this war, more than 2,000 of America's sons and daughters have given their lives. 01:34.920 --> 01:37.180 These are patriots that we honor today, 01:37.560 --> 01:38.990 tomorrow, and forever. 01:40.310 --> 01:46.530 And as we announced today, next month I will present our nation's highest military 01:46.670 --> 01:53.420 decoration, the Medal of Honor, to Staff Sergeant Clinton Romesha for his heroic 01:53.550 --> 01:54.730 service in Afghanistan. 01:56.180 --> 02:00.490 Today, because of the courage of our citizens, President Karzai and I have been 02:00.610 --> 02:02.410 able to review our shared strategy. 02:03.510 --> 02:08.530 With the devastating blows we've struck against al Qaeda, our core objective — the 02:08.540 --> 02:10.470 reason we went to war in the first place — 02:11.320 --> 02:16.470 is now within reach: ensuring that al Qaeda can never again use Afghanistan to 02:16.590 --> 02:18.740 launch attacks against our country. 02:20.060 --> 02:24.410 At the same time, we pushed the Taliban out of their strongholds. 02:24.640 --> 02:26.980 Today, most major cities — and most 02:27.630 --> 02:29.050 Afghans — are more secure, and insurgents 02:30.480 --> 02:32.870 have continued to lose territory. 02:33.230 --> 02:37.180 Meanwhile, Afghan forces continue to grow stronger. 02:37.790 --> 02:45.110 As planned, some 352,000 Afghan soldiers and police are now in training or on duty. 02:45.710 --> 02:49.910 Most missions are already being led by Afghan forces. 02:50.430 --> 02:55.810 And of all the men and women in uniform in Afghanistan, the vast majority are 02:55.930 --> 02:59.900 Afghans who are fighting and dying for their country every day. 03:01.120 --> 03:03.140 We still face significant challenges. 03:04.050 --> 03:06.680 But because of this progress, our transition is on track. 03:07.180 --> 03:10.650 At the NATO Summit last year, we agreed with our coalition partners that Afghan 03:10.760 --> 03:14.960 forces will take the lead for security in mid-2013. 03:15.690 --> 03:18.570 President Karzai and his team have been here for several days. 03:18.930 --> 03:21.450 We've shared a vision for how we're going to move ahead. 03:21.680 --> 03:24.680 We've consulted with our coalition partners, and we will continue to do so. 03:25.650 --> 03:29.730 And today, we agreed that as Afghan forces take the lead and as President 03:29.850 --> 03:35.130 Karzai announces the final phase of the transition, coalition forces will move to 03:35.250 --> 03:37.290 a support role this spring. 03:38.500 --> 03:41.480 Our troops will continue to fight alongside Afghans, when needed. 03:41.600 --> 03:44.850 But let me say it as plainly as I can: 03:45.100 --> 03:52.880 Starting this spring, our troops will have a different mission — training, advising, 03:53.130 --> 03:55.280 assisting Afghan forces. 03:56.250 --> 04:01.640 It will be an historic moment and another step toward full Afghan sovereignty — 04:01.770 --> 04:05.960 something I know that President Karzai cares deeply about, as do the Afghan people. 04:07.040 --> 04:10.530 This sets the stage for the further reduction of coalition forces. 04:10.770 --> 04:15.200 We've already reduced our presence in Afghanistan to roughly 66,000 U.S. 04:15.190 --> 04:19.390 troops. I've pledged we'll continue to bring our forces home at a steady pace, and in the 04:19.400 --> 04:24.330 coming months I'll announce the next phase of our drawdown — a responsible drawdown 04:24.450 --> 04:26.850 that protects the gains our troops have made. 04:28.440 --> 04:33.590 President Karzai and I also discussed the nature of our security cooperation after 2014. 04:34.210 --> 04:37.190 Our teams continue to work toward a security agreement. 04:37.440 --> 04:42.110 And as they do, they will be guided by our respect for Afghan sovereignty, and by 04:42.220 --> 04:48.350 our two long-term tasks, which will be very specific and very narrow — first, 04:48.460 --> 04:53.610 training and assisting Afghan forces and, second, targeting counterterrorism 04:53.620 --> 04:57.710 missions — targeted counterterrorism missions against al Qaeda and its affiliates. 04:59.040 --> 05:03.590 Our discussions will focus on how best to achieve these two tasks after 2014, 05:03.590 --> 05:07.190 and it's our hope that we can reach an agreement this year. 05:07.440 --> 05:11.750 Ultimately, security gains must be matched by political progress. 05:12.220 --> 05:16.660 So we recommitted our nations to a reconciliation process between the Afghan 05:16.790 --> 05:17.870 government and the Taliban. 05:18.960 --> 05:23.630 President Karzai updated me on the Afghan government's road map to peace. 05:23.750 --> 05:26.870 And today, we agreed that this process should be advanced by the opening of 05:26.870 --> 05:29.010 a Taliban office to facilitate talks. 05:30.240 --> 05:34.430 Reconciliation also requires constructive support from across the region, 05:34.550 --> 05:35.990 including Pakistan. 05:36.600 --> 05:39.950 We welcome recent steps that have been taken in that regard, and we'll look for 05:40.060 --> 05:45.470 more tangible steps — because a stable and secure Afghanistan is in the interest not 05:45.580 --> 05:48.950 only of the Afghan people and the United States, but of the entire region. 05:49.920 --> 05:53.750 And finally, we reaffirmed the Strategic Partnership that we signed last year in 05:53.870 --> 05:55.900 Kabul — an enduring partnership between 05:56.770 --> 06:00.470 two sovereign nations. This includes deepening ties of trade, 06:00.600 --> 06:05.640 commerce, strengthening institutions, development, education and opportunities 06:05.750 --> 06:10.320 for all Afghans — men and women, boys and girls. 06:11.050 --> 06:15.840 And this sends a clear message to Afghans and to the region, as Afghans stand up, 06:15.950 --> 06:18.960 they will not stand alone; the United States, and the world, 06:19.070 --> 06:20.040 stands with them. 06:20.890 --> 06:26.640 Now, let me close by saying that this continues to be a very difficult mission. 06:27.000 --> 06:30.350 Our forces continue to serve and make tremendous sacrifices every day. 06:31.690 --> 06:35.520 The Afghan people make significant sacrifices every day. 06:36.260 --> 06:38.530 Afghan forces still need to grow stronger. 06:39.970 --> 06:42.350 We remain vigilant against insider attacks. 06:43.320 --> 06:47.270 Lasting peace and security will require governance and development that delivers 06:47.400 --> 06:52.440 for the Afghan people and an end to safe havens for al Qaeda and its ilk. 06:52.910 --> 06:57.830 All this will continue to be our work. But make no mistake — our path is clear 06:57.950 --> 06:59.270 and we are moving forward. 06:59.770 --> 07:04.310 Every day, more Afghans are stepping up and taking responsibility for their own security. 07:04.680 --> 07:07.200 And as they do, our troops will come home. 07:07.690 --> 07:11.150 And next year, this long war will come to a responsible end. 07:11.890 --> 07:15.950 President Karzai, I thank you and your delegation for the progress we've made 07:16.070 --> 07:20.750 together and for your commitment to the goals that we share — a strong 07:20.860 --> 07:27.000 and sovereign Afghanistan where Afghans find security, peace, prosperity and dignity. 07:27.260 --> 07:32.160 And in pursuit of that future, Afghanistan will have a long-term partner 07:32.260 --> 07:34.440 in the United States of America. Mr. President. 07:33.950 --> 07:35.640 Thank you. 07:39.120 --> 07:46.920 Thank you very much, Mr. President, for this very gracious and warm welcome to me 07:46.920 --> 07:53.520 and the Afghan delegation on this visit to Washington, and for bearing with us, as I 07:53.640 --> 07:58.200 mentioned during our talks in the Blair House, with all the crowds that we have there. 08:00.000 --> 08:08.510 The President and I discussed today in great detail all the relevant issues 08:10.830 --> 08:12.380 between the two countries. 08:14.180 --> 08:21.020 I was happy to see that we have made progress on some of the important issues 08:21.020 --> 08:22.100 for Afghanistan. 08:22.820 --> 08:31.690 Concerning Afghan sovereignty, we agreed on the complete return of detention 08:32.040 --> 08:39.240 centers and detainees to Afghan sovereignty, and that this will be 08:39.250 --> 08:43.220 implemented soon after my return to Afghanistan. 08:44.580 --> 08:53.410 We also discussed all aspects of transition to Afghan governance and security. 08:55.470 --> 09:02.660 I'm very happy to hear from the President, as we also discussed it earlier, that in 09:02.780 --> 09:09.730 spring this year the Afghan forces will be fully responsible for providing security 09:09.840 --> 09:11.290 and protection to the Afghan people, 09:12.140 --> 09:20.180 and that the international forces, the American forces will be no longer present 09:20.290 --> 09:26.030 in Afghan villages, that the task will be that of the Afghan forces to provide for 09:26.030 --> 09:29.400 the Afghan people in security and protection. 09:31.820 --> 09:40.320 We also agreed on the steps that we should be taking in the peace process, which 09:40.440 --> 09:42.730 is of highest priority to Afghanistan. 09:43.690 --> 09:54.240 We agreed on allowing a Taliban office in Qatar — in Doha, where the Taliban will 09:54.380 --> 09:57.010 engage in direct talks with the 09:57.260 --> 10:04.440 representatives of the Afghan High Council for Peace, where we will be seeking the 10:04.440 --> 10:06.490 help of relevant regional countries, 10:07.090 --> 10:14.410 including Pakistan — where we'll be trying our best, together with the United States 10:14.650 --> 10:20.410 and our other allies, to return peace and stability to Afghanistan as soon as 10:20.520 --> 10:25.920 possible, and employing all the means that we have within our power to do that, 10:26.390 --> 10:32.160 so the Afghan people can live in security and peace and work for their prosperity 10:32.620 --> 10:35.620 and educate their children. 10:37.680 --> 10:42.400 The President and I also discussed the economic transition of Afghanistan and all 10:42.500 --> 10:44.420 that entails for Afghanistan. 10:45.150 --> 10:51.870 Once the transition to Afghan forces is completed, once the bulk of the 10:51.880 --> 10:56.320 international forces have withdrawn from Afghanistan, we hope that the dividends of 10:56.420 --> 11:00.150 that transition economically to Afghanistan will be beneficial to the 11:00.160 --> 11:05.910 Afghan people, and will not have adverse effects on Afghan economy and the 11:06.020 --> 11:10.220 prosperity that we have gained in the past many years. 11:10.590 --> 11:15.160 We also discussed the issue of election in Afghanistan and the importance of election 11:15.270 --> 11:20.820 for the Afghan people, with the hope that we'll be conducting a free and fair 11:21.080 --> 11:26.470 election in Afghanistan where our friends in the international community — in 11:26.590 --> 11:33.030 particular, the United States — will be assisting in conducting those elections, 11:33.160 --> 11:34.120 of course; 11:35.080 --> 11:42.760 where Afghanistan will have the right environment for conducting elections 11:42.880 --> 11:49.110 without interference and without undue concern in that regard for the Afghan people. 11:51.760 --> 11:58.110 We also discussed in a bit of detail, 11:58.360 --> 12:04.750 and in the environment that we have, all aspects of the bilateral security 12:04.880 --> 12:08.230 agreement between Afghanistan and the United States, and I informed the 12:08.480 --> 12:17.480 President that the Afghan people already in the Loya Jirga that we called for — the 12:17.590 --> 12:21.870 Strategic Partnership Agreement between us and the United States — have given their 12:21.990 --> 12:26.300 approval to this relationship and the value as one that is good for Afghanistan. 12:26.790 --> 12:32.190 So in that context, the bilateral security agreement is one that the Afghan 12:32.310 --> 12:37.220 people approve. And I'm sure we will conduct it in detail 12:37.220 --> 12:41.670 where both the interests of the United States and the interests of Afghanistan 12:41.790 --> 12:43.590 will be kept in mind. 12:44.550 --> 12:48.380 We had a number of other issues also to talk about. 12:48.760 --> 12:55.480 During our conversations, and perhaps many times in that conversation, 12:55.470 --> 13:03.270 beginning with the conversation, of course, I thanked the President for the help that 13:03.280 --> 13:07.220 the United States has given to the Afghan people, for all that we have gained in the 13:07.350 --> 13:13.220 past 10 years, and that those gains will be kept by any standard while we are 13:13.470 --> 13:17.070 working for peace and stability in Afghanistan, including the respect for 13:17.070 --> 13:18.500 Afghan constitution. 13:19.120 --> 13:27.790 I also thanked the President and endorsed with him the sacrifices of American men 13:27.900 --> 13:30.660 and women in uniform and those of other countries. 13:30.920 --> 13:36.550 Accordingly, I also informed President Obama of the sacrifices of the Afghan 13:36.670 --> 13:40.990 people — of the immense sacrifices of the Afghan people in the past 10 years, 13:41.100 --> 13:47.400 both for the servicemen and of the Afghan people. 13:48.040 --> 13:58.230 I'll be going back to Afghanistan this evening to bring to the Afghan people the 13:58.220 --> 14:07.150 news of Afghanistan standing shoulder to shoulder with America as a sovereign, 14:07.300 --> 14:11.990 independent country, but in cooperation 14:12.230 --> 14:17.590 and in partnership. Thank you, Mr. President, for the hospitality. 14:17.710 --> 14:22.020 Thank you very much, Mr. President. Okay, we've got two questions each I think 14:22.160 --> 14:26.830 from U.S. and Afghan press. I will start with Scott Wilson of The 14:26.960 --> 14:27.680 Washington Post. 14:28.040 --> 14:30.190 Thank you, Mr. President and President Karzai. 14:30.550 --> 14:37.500 Mr. President, does moving up the deadline for the transition to an Afghan security 14:37.620 --> 14:41.700 role lead in the spring mean you'll be winding down U.S. troops faster than you 14:41.810 --> 14:45.900 expected this year? And as specifically as possible, how many 14:46.010 --> 14:49.970 troops do you expect to leave in Afghanistan beyond 2014 for the two 14:50.100 --> 14:53.100 missions you outlined? And would you consider leaving any troops 14:53.090 --> 14:57.290 in Afghanistan beyond that date without an immunity agreement for their actions? 14:58.030 --> 15:04.020 And, President Karzai, you've spoken often about the threat the American presence in 15:04.240 --> 15:09.030 Afghanistan poses to your nation's sovereignty. I'm wondering if you will be considering 15:09.180 --> 15:13.240 and working on behalf of an immunity agreement to preserve some U.S. forces in 15:13.380 --> 15:20.210 Afghanistan after the 2014 date, and how many U.S. troops you would accept after 15:20.210 --> 15:21.650 that time. Thank you. 15:24.100 --> 15:31.540 Scott, our first task has been to meet the transition plan that we set first in 15:31.650 --> 15:33.210 Lisbon, then in Chicago. 15:33.700 --> 15:38.500 And because of the progress that's been made by our troops, because of the 15:38.620 --> 15:42.460 progress that's been made in terms of Afghan security forces, their capacity to 15:42.590 --> 15:50.980 take the lead, we are able to meet those goals and accelerate them somewhat. 15:53.870 --> 16:01.540 What's going to happen this spring is that Afghans will be in the lead throughout the country. 16:03.370 --> 16:09.010 That doesn't mean that coalition forces, including U.S. forces, are no longer fighting. 16:09.800 --> 16:13.400 They will still be fighting alongside Afghan troops. 16:13.520 --> 16:18.810 It does mean, though, that Afghans will have taken the lead, and our presence, 16:18.920 --> 16:23.010 the nature of our work will be different. We will be in a training, assisting, 16:23.110 --> 16:24.200 advising role. 16:24.920 --> 16:31.520 Obviously, we will still have troops there and that means that our men and women will 16:31.630 --> 16:37.150 still be in harm's way, that there will still be the need for force protection. 16:39.080 --> 16:41.830 The environment is going to still be very dangerous. 16:42.090 --> 16:49.630 But what we've seen is, is that Afghan soldiers are stepping up, at great risk to 16:49.740 --> 16:56.230 themselves, and that allows us then to make this transition during the spring. 16:58.160 --> 17:04.140 What that translates into precisely in terms of how this drawdown of U.S. 17:04.260 --> 17:11.460 troop proceeds is something that isn't yet fully determined. I'm going to be over the coming weeks 17:11.600 --> 17:16.510 getting recommendations from General Allen and other commanders on the ground. 17:16.770 --> 17:22.520 They will be designing and shaping a responsible plan to make sure that we're 17:22.630 --> 17:26.110 not losing the gains that have already been made, to make sure that we're in 17:26.230 --> 17:35.350 a position to support Afghan units when they're in theater, and to make sure that 17:35.600 --> 17:38.010 our folks are also protected even as we're drawing down. 17:38.230 --> 17:41.350 So I can't give you a precise number at this point. 17:41.460 --> 17:43.870 I'll probably make a separate announcement once I've gotten 17:44.000 --> 17:49.260 recommendations from troop — from the generals and our commanders in terms of 17:49.400 --> 17:51.670 what that drawdown might look like. 17:52.650 --> 18:00.560 With respect to post-2014, we've got two goals — and our main conversation today 18:00.660 --> 18:08.830 was establishing a meeting of the minds in terms of what those goals would be with 18:08.830 --> 18:16.030 a follow-on presence of U.S. troops. Number one, to train, assist, and advise 18:16.030 --> 18:18.660 Afghan forces so that they can maintain their own security; 18:19.030 --> 18:27.060 and number two, making sure that we can continue to go after remnants of al Qaeda 18:27.060 --> 18:31.030 or other affiliates that might threaten our homeland. 18:31.400 --> 18:38.340 That is a very limited mission, and it is not one that would require the same kind 18:38.470 --> 18:43.750 of footprint, obviously, that we've had over the last 10 years in Afghanistan. 18:45.450 --> 18:47.840 Similar to the issue of drawdown, 18:48.080 --> 18:53.460 I'm still getting recommendations from the Pentagon and our commanders on the ground 18:53.600 --> 18:54.670 in terms of what that would look like. 18:55.650 --> 19:01.400 And when we have more information about that, I will be describing that to the 19:01.510 --> 19:05.720 American people. I think President Karzai's primary concern 19:06.060 --> 19:09.060 — and obviously you'll hear directly from him — is making sure that Afghan 19:09.200 --> 19:10.670 sovereignty is respected. 19:11.760 --> 19:17.860 And if we have a follow-on force of any sort past 2014, it's got to be at the 19:17.990 --> 19:21.710 invitation of the Afghan government and they have to feel comfortable with it. 19:22.920 --> 19:30.000 I will say — and I've said to President Karzai — that we have arrangements like 19:30.110 --> 19:35.840 this with countries all around the world, and nowhere do we have any kind of 19:35.840 --> 19:40.860 security agreement with a country without immunity for our troops. 19:42.680 --> 19:51.070 That's how I, as Commander-in-Chief, can make sure that our folks are protected in 19:51.200 --> 19:54.800 carrying out very difficult missions. And so I think President Karzai 19:54.910 --> 19:57.660 understands that. I don't want to get ahead of ourselves in 19:57.800 --> 20:01.990 terms of the negotiations that are still remaining on the bilateral security 20:02.120 --> 20:04.870 agreement, but I think it's fair to say that, from my perspective at least, 20:05.000 --> 20:11.240 it will not be possible for us to have any kind of U.S. troop presence post-2014 20:11.240 --> 20:20.240 without assurances that our men and women who are operating there are in some way 20:20.350 --> 20:22.860 subject to the jurisdiction of another country. 20:24.800 --> 20:34.040 Well, sir, the bilateral security agreement is in mind for the interests of 20:34.150 --> 20:35.120 both countries. 20:36.200 --> 20:43.210 We understand that the issue of immunity is of very specific importance for the 20:43.320 --> 20:53.520 United States, as was for us the issue of sovereignty and detentions and the 20:53.630 --> 20:57.400 continued presence of international forces in Afghan villages and the very conduct of 20:57.640 --> 20:59.320 the war itself. 21:00.520 --> 21:08.070 With those issues resolved, as we did today, part of it — the rest was done 21:08.210 --> 21:11.750 earlier — I can go to the Afghan people 21:12.120 --> 21:21.470 and argue for immunity for U.S. troops in Afghanistan in a way that Afghan 21:21.600 --> 21:24.110 sovereignty will not be compromised, in 21:24.370 --> 21:32.270 a way that Afghan law will not be compromised, in a way that the provisions 21:32.400 --> 21:38.150 that we arrive at through our talks will give the United States the satisfaction of 21:38.270 --> 21:44.640 what it seeks and will also provide the Afghan people the benefits that they are 21:44.640 --> 21:49.550 seeking through this partnership and the subsequent agreement. 21:50.710 --> 21:53.350 Do you have any sense of how many troops you would be willing to have? 21:53.470 --> 21:55.040 That's not for us to decide. 21:55.280 --> 21:57.150 It's an issue for the United States. 21:57.770 --> 22:03.640 Numbers are not going to make a difference to the situation in Afghanistan. 22:04.250 --> 22:08.040 It's the broader relationship that will make a difference to Afghanistan and, 22:08.150 --> 22:09.830 beyond, in the region. 22:10.090 --> 22:14.560 The specifics of numbers are issues that the military will decide, and Afghanistan 22:14.670 --> 22:24.040 will have no particular concern when we are talking of numbers and how they are deployed. 22:25.280 --> 22:28.630 Any Afghan press? English-speaking press? 22:33.430 --> 22:41.900 I am Abdul Qadir, Kabul, Afghanistan. I prefer to ask my question to my own language. 22:42.140 --> 22:54.760 Mr. President, the missions of — combat missions of United States after 2014 — how 22:54.890 --> 23:03.380 this mission will be? Will it be resembling the same mission as 23:03.610 --> 23:08.350 it was during 11 years, or is there a difference, different kind of mission? 23:11.460 --> 23:17.100 Those who are in Pakistan, particularly the safe havens that are in Pakistan, 23:17.200 --> 23:20.340 what kind of policy will you have? Thank you. 23:29.250 --> 23:40.200 Just to repeat, our main reason should we have troops in Afghanistan post-2014 at 23:40.330 --> 23:44.480 the invitation of the Afghan government will be to make sure that we are training, 23:44.600 --> 23:48.590 assisting and advising Afghan security forces who have now taken the lead for 23:48.600 --> 23:56.290 and are responsible for security throughout Afghanistan, and an interest that the 23:56.400 --> 24:00.140 United States has — the very reason that we went to Afghanistan in the first place 24:00.250 --> 24:06.310 — and that is to make sure that al Qaeda and its affiliates cannot launch an attack 24:06.560 --> 24:11.230 against the United States or other countries from Afghan soil. 24:12.310 --> 24:16.710 We believe that we can achieve that mission in a way that's very different 24:16.970 --> 24:24.730 from the very active presence that we've had in Afghanistan over the last 11 years. 24:25.080 --> 24:28.660 President Karzai has emphasized the 24:28.920 --> 24:37.150 strains that U.S. troop presences in Afghan villages, for example, have created. 24:37.770 --> 24:42.150 Well, that's not going to be a strain that exists if there is a follow-up 24:42.270 --> 24:47.350 operation because that will not be our responsibility; that will be the responsibility of the 24:47.470 --> 24:52.750 Afghan National Security Forces, to maintain peace and order and stability in 24:53.110 --> 24:56.400 Afghan villages, in Afghan territory. 24:58.120 --> 25:04.000 So I think, although obviously we're still 25:04.500 --> 25:11.240 two years away, I can say with assurance that this is a very different mission 25:11.240 --> 25:16.600 and a very different task and a very different footprint for the U.S. if we are able to 25:16.720 --> 25:19.240 come to an appropriate agreement. 25:20.080 --> 25:27.160 And with respect to Pakistan and safe havens there, Afghanistan and the United 25:27.150 --> 25:35.990 States and Pakistan all have an interest in reducing the threat of extremism in 25:36.110 --> 25:38.630 some of these border regions between Afghanistan and Pakistan. 25:38.880 --> 25:45.310 And that's going to require more than simply military actions. 25:45.570 --> 25:50.870 That's really going to require political and diplomatic work between Afghanistan 25:51.000 --> 25:54.920 and Pakistan. And the United States obviously will have 25:55.040 --> 25:59.800 an interest in facilitating and participating in cooperation between the 25:59.920 --> 26:03.880 two sovereign countries. But as President Karzai I think has 26:04.000 --> 26:05.550 indicated, it's very hard to imagine 26:08.780 --> 26:15.530 stability and peace in the region if Pakistan and Afghanistan don't come to 26:15.530 --> 26:21.410 some basic agreement and understanding about the threat of extremism to both 26:21.660 --> 26:26.090 countries and both governments and both capitals. And I think you're starting to see 26:26.090 --> 26:29.330 a greater awareness of that on the part of the Pakistani government. 26:38.510 --> 26:46.840 The question that you have made about — we talked about this issue in detail today 26:46.950 --> 26:52.290 about the prisoners, about the detention centers. 26:53.280 --> 27:04.060 All of these will transfer to the Afghan sovereignty, and the U.S. forces will pull 27:04.180 --> 27:09.230 out from villages, will go to their bases, 27:11.680 --> 27:17.460 and Afghan sovereignty will be restored. 27:17.850 --> 27:24.920 And after 2014, we are working on this relation. 27:25.880 --> 27:33.120 This relation will have a different nature and will be based on different principles. 27:35.400 --> 27:40.200 It will resemble probably Turkey-United States — Turkey or Germany. 27:40.910 --> 27:45.230 We are studying these relationships and we will do that. 27:49.010 --> 27:53.560 Thank you, Mr. President. As you contemplate the end of this war, 27:53.690 --> 27:59.520 can you say as Commander-in-Chief that the huge human and financial costs that this 27:59.640 --> 28:04.000 has entailed can be justified, given the fact that the Afghanistan that the world 28:04.000 --> 28:08.090 will leave behind is somewhat diminished from the visions of reconstruction 28:08.090 --> 28:11.200 and democracy that were kind of prevalent at the beginning of the war? 28:11.320 --> 28:19.890 And, President Karzai, many independent studies have criticized Afghanistan for 28:20.000 --> 28:21.210 corruption and poor governance. 28:21.780 --> 28:26.210 Do you stand by your assertion last month that much of this is due to the influence 28:26.200 --> 28:29.690 of foreigners? And are you completely committed to 28:29.810 --> 28:32.670 stepping down as President after the elections next year? 28:39.450 --> 28:42.750 I want us to remember why we went to Afghanistan. 28:43.610 --> 28:52.830 We went into Afghanistan because 3,000 Americans were viciously murdered by 28:53.450 --> 29:00.120 a terrorist organization that was operating openly and at the invitation of those who 29:00.130 --> 29:01.560 were then ruling Afghanistan. 29:03.010 --> 29:09.360 It was absolutely the right thing to do for us to go after that organization; 29:10.090 --> 29:18.600 to go after the host government that had aided and abetted, or at least allowed for 29:18.720 --> 29:23.750 these attacks to take place. And because of the heroic work of our men 29:23.890 --> 29:31.130 and women in uniform, and because of the cooperation and sacrifices of Afghans who 29:31.240 --> 29:39.120 had also been brutalized by that then-host government, we achieved our central goal, 29:39.530 --> 29:43.690 which is — or have come very close to achieving our central goal — which is to 29:43.810 --> 29:53.160 de-capacitate al Qaeda; to dismantle them; to make sure that they can't attack us again. 29:53.890 --> 30:00.950 And everything that we've done over the last 10 years from the perspective of the 30:01.090 --> 30:05.760 U.S. national security interests have been focused on that aim. 30:06.740 --> 30:13.640 And at the end of this conflict, we are going to be able to say that the 30:13.640 --> 30:20.640 sacrifices that were made by those men and women in uniform has brought about the 30:20.760 --> 30:26.840 goal that we sought. Now, what we also recognized very early on 30:26.960 --> 30:31.260 was that it was in our national security interest to have a stable, 30:31.250 --> 30:37.290 sovereign Afghanistan that was a responsible international actor, that was in 30:37.290 --> 30:42.680 partnership with us, and that that required Afghanistan to have its own 30:42.800 --> 30:48.690 security capacity and to be on a path that was more likely to achieve prosperity 30:48.810 --> 30:50.350 and peace for its own people. 30:51.090 --> 30:55.690 And I think President Karzai would be the first to acknowledge that Afghanistan 30:55.680 --> 31:01.550 still has work to do to accomplish those goals, but there's no doubt that the 31:01.690 --> 31:10.250 possibility of peace and prosperity in Afghanistan today is higher than before we 31:10.360 --> 31:11.090 went in. 31:11.260 --> 31:20.040 And that is also in part because of the sacrifices that the American people have 31:20.160 --> 31:32.010 made during this long conflict. So I think that — have we achieved 31:32.600 --> 31:40.810 everything that some might have imagined us achieving in the best of scenarios? 31:41.290 --> 31:43.440 Probably not. 31:44.540 --> 31:48.610 This is a human enterprise and you fall short of the ideal. 31:49.090 --> 31:52.960 Did we achieve our central goal, and have 31:53.200 --> 32:00.000 we been able I think to shape a strong relationship with a responsible Afghan 32:00.120 --> 32:06.550 government that is willing to cooperate with us to make sure that it is not 32:06.550 --> 32:12.010 a launching pad for future attacks against the United States? 32:12.260 --> 32:15.450 We have achieved that goal. We are in the process of achieving that goal. 32:15.700 --> 32:21.100 And for that, I think we have to thank our extraordinary military, intelligence, 32:21.090 --> 32:25.200 and diplomatic teams, as well as the cooperation of the Afghan government 32:25.330 --> 32:26.150 and the Afghan people. 32:28.090 --> 32:37.490 Sir, on the question of corruption, whether it has a foreign element to it, 32:37.720 --> 32:43.720 if I have correct understanding of your question, there is corruption in Afghanistan. 32:44.930 --> 32:50.680 There is corruption in the Afghan government that we are fighting against, 32:51.480 --> 32:54.690 employing various means and methods. 32:55.110 --> 32:58.090 We have succeeded in certain ways. 32:59.540 --> 33:04.830 But if your question is whether we are satisfied — of course not. 33:06.280 --> 33:13.950 And on the corruption that is foreign in origin but occurring in Afghanistan, 33:15.540 --> 33:25.690 I have been very clear and explicit, and I don't think that Afghanistan can see this 33:25.690 --> 33:32.340 corruption unless there is cooperation between us and our international partners 33:32.460 --> 33:40.140 on correcting some of the methods or applications of delivery of assistance to 33:40.260 --> 33:47.680 Afghanistan — without cooperation and with recognition of the problems. 33:48.900 --> 34:00.820 On elections, for me, the greatest of my achievements, eventually, seen by the 34:00.940 --> 34:03.380 Afghan people will be a proper, 34:05.080 --> 34:13.580 well-organized, interference-free election in which the Afghan people can elect their 34:13.810 --> 34:15.130 next president. 34:15.750 --> 34:25.930 Certainly, I would be a retired President, and very happily, a retired President. 34:31.940 --> 34:33.490 My name is Mujahed Kakar. 34:34.770 --> 34:41.610 My question is to you, Mr. President. Afghan women fear that they will be the 34:41.720 --> 34:44.130 real victim of reconciliation process in Afghanistan. 34:44.250 --> 34:49.770 What assurances you can give them that they will not suffer because of that process? 34:50.960 --> 34:51.940 Thank you. 34:52.920 --> 34:56.020 Well, the United States has been very clear that any peace process, 34:56.140 --> 35:01.480 any reconciliation process must be Afghan led. 35:02.330 --> 35:07.470 It is not for the United States to determine what the terms of this peace 35:07.590 --> 35:08.200 will be. 35:09.160 --> 35:18.390 But what we have also been very clear about is that, from our perspective, it 35:18.510 --> 35:31.870 is not possible to reconcile without the Taliban renouncing terrorism, without them 35:31.870 --> 35:36.100 recognizing the Afghan constitution 35:37.200 --> 35:44.390 and recognizing that if there are changes that they want to make to how the Afghan 35:44.510 --> 35:49.710 government operates, then there is a orderly constitutional process to do that 35:50.190 --> 35:51.990 and that you can't resort to violence. 35:53.930 --> 35:58.150 The Afghan constitution protects the rights of Afghan women. 35:58.880 --> 36:08.080 And the United States strongly believes that Afghanistan cannot succeed unless it 36:08.190 --> 36:12.150 gives opportunity to its women. We believe that about every country in 36:12.140 --> 36:12.990 the world. 36:13.840 --> 36:23.070 And so we will continue to voice very strongly support for the Afghan 36:23.190 --> 36:27.510 constitution, its protection of minorities, its protection of women. 36:28.130 --> 36:36.830 And we think that a failure to provide that protection not only will make 36:36.830 --> 36:44.400 reconciliation impossible to achieve, but also would make Afghanistan's long-term 36:44.500 --> 36:48.170 development impossible to achieve. 36:48.900 --> 36:58.730 The single-best indicator, or one of the single-best indicators, of a country's 36:58.840 --> 37:02.560 prosperity around the world is how does it treat its women. 37:03.060 --> 37:07.500 Does it educate that half of the population? Does it give them opportunity? 37:08.570 --> 37:14.490 When it does, you unleash the power of everyone, not just some. 37:15.350 --> 37:21.570 And I think there was great wisdom in Afghanistan ratifying a constitution that 37:21.690 --> 37:22.530 recognized that. 37:23.610 --> 37:27.840 That should be part of the legacy of these last 10 years. 37:28.090 --> 37:31.560 Indeed. Indeed. Thank you very much, everybody.