Karzai welcomes Obama’s remarks on Afghanistan

KABUL: (MEP) – Afghan president Hamid Karzai welcomed the remarks by US president Barack Obama during his State of the Union Address, where he reaffirmed Washington’s commitment to unified Afghanistan.

The presidential palace media office following a statement said, “President Karzai welcomed these remarks, which indeed is a reaffirmation of Afghanistan’s long-standing position and called it in the good interest of the two countries’ bilateral relations.”

The statement further added, “As any timeline for signing the Bilateral Security Agreement (BSA) was put aside in the address, the President called it positive and believes that the two countries can work together with patience and due diligence in helping Afghanistan’s peace process to start.”

President Karzai urges that it is time now to put an end to the negative propaganda against Afghanistan.”

“The President Stresses that it is peace that assures a country’s stability, progress and unity, and it is for this reason that Afghanistan considers the effective and public launch of the peace process as the key prerequisite for signing the BSA,” the statement added.

The US president Barack Obama promised to declare an end to the 12-year war in Afghanistan by the end of 2014.

Obama said Afghanistan will take the responsibility of its own future at end of the year, and Washington remains committed to continue supporting a united Afghanistan.

Obama also added that United States and its allies will keep a residual force in Afghanistan beyond 2014 to continue train Afghan security forces and conduct counter-terror operations against the al-Qaeda and other extremist groups.