KABUL (AFP/Reuters) – A major international conference in Kabul on Tuesday ended with an endorsement of Afghan President Hamid Karzai’s plans to make peace with insurgents in an effort to end a nearly nine-year war.
“Participants welcomed and endorsed in principle the Afghan government’s peace and reintegration programme,” said the final communique seen by AFP.
Karzai last month won approval from Afghan leaders to start peace talks with insurgent leaders and called on the international community to back his efforts – despite at least initial scepticism from the United States.
Karzai’s programme is open to insurgents, “who renounce violence, have no links to international terrorist organisations, respect the constitution and are willing to join in building a peaceful Afghanistan,” the statement noted.
The conference also called for at least 50 percent of development aid for the country to be channelled through the Afghan governmentÂ’s budget within two years.
“Participants restated their strong support for channelling at least 50 percent of development aid through the Afghan government’s core budget within two years,” said a copy of the final statement read out to AFP.
But it called on the Afghan government to bring about necessary reforms to strengthen public financial management systems, reduce corruption, improve budget execution and increase revenue collection.
The conference endorsed President KarzaiÂ’s objective for Afghan forces to take responsibility for security in the country by the end of 2014.
“Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) should lead and conduct military operations in all provinces by the end of 2014,” said the communique.
Addressing the conference, Karzai sought to convince the participants that his government could assume security responsibility by 2014 and demanded greater control of aid money.
Karzai is under massive Western pressure to crack down on corruption and take the lead in facing down a nine-year Taliban insurgency now killing record numbers of foreign soldiers and swallowing billion of dollars of money.
UN Chief Ban Ki-moon and US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton led representatives from 70 organisations and countries who urged Kabul to work harder towards its goals, end graft and ensure that aid money was best spent.
“I remain determined that our Afghan national security forces will be responsible for all military and law enforcement operations throughout our country by 2014,” said Karzai in his opening address.
Karzai said the international community had committed enough money to see Afghanistan through the next three years and called for greater control of the multi-billion-dollar aid budget for his impoverished country.
“We all agree that steady transition to Afghan leadership and ownership is the key to sustainability,” he said.
He called on foreign allies to invest in major infrastructure projects that can transform the lives of Afghans instead of isolated projects that have minimal impact, do not win widespread public favour or support good governance.
Since 2001, only 20 percent of the total 40 billion dollars of pledged international aid had been channelled through the Afghan budget, leading to serious corruption among the rest.
The United States plans to start withdrawing troops from July next year, and Ms Clinton told the conference that the target date underscored the urgency of transferring more security responsibility to the Afghan government.
“The July 2011 date captures both our sense of urgency and the strength of our resolve. The transition process is too important to push off indefinitely,” she said.
“The Afghan government is stepping forward to deal with a multitude of difficult challenges. We’re encouraged by much of what we see, particularly their work to improve governance,” Ms Clinton said.
“These steps are important. But much more work remains,” she said.
NATO Chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen told the conference that the alliance would remain in Afghanistan even after Afghans take responsibility for security.
Lawmaker Sultanzoi said Afghanistan would rely on foreign military help until the national mindset changed.
“It is not just the equipment and gear and technical things,” he said. “It is also a culture that a national army has to possess in order to take control of the defence of a nation.”
But British Foreign Secretary William Hague told the conference that the country was moving in the right direction.
“Both the army and the police are well on track to meet their 2011 growth targets,” he said. “The transition to full Afghan security responsibility should be gradual and determined by Afghan capability, but it should be able to start soon.”
Hague called for improved financial management to ensure that money was being best spent.
“We will always need to see that the government is making the best possible use of our, and its own money.
“This means continuing on a path of improved financial management and budget execution, as well as tackling corruption at all times,” he said.
EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said improved governance was vital. “Better management of public finance is key and will also encourage donors to route more assistance through the Afghan government,” she said.
Karzai last month won endorsement from Afghan leaders to start peace talks with insurgent leaders and called on the international community to back his efforts – despite at least initial scepticism from the United States.