U.S.-AFGHANISTAN ISSUE JOINT STATEMENT

FROM:  THE WHITE HOUSE
March 24, 2015
U.S.-Afghanistan Joint Statement

President Barack Obama welcomed Mohammad Ashraf Ghani, President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah, and the accompanying Afghan delegation to Washington from March 22-26, 2015.

The visit offered an opportunity to renew U.S.-Afghan relations, review the joint achievements of the last 13 years in Afghanistan, and to discuss the actions each country needs to take to ensure that the social, economic, security and human rights gains made over that period are sustained and advanced.

President Ghani and Chief Executive Abdullah expressed deep appreciation for the contributions, sacrifices and sustained commitment of the United States that made these achievements possible and underscored that this support is paying dividends for Afghans, Americans, and the international community alike.  The Afghan economy has grown more than fourfold over the last 13 years and young Afghans are attending school at unprecedented levels, with girls and women comprising a growing percentage of these students.

The leaders further noted the success of joint counter-terrorism efforts to date and emphasized that sustained U.S. and other international assistance will be important to enable the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF) to address the significant security challenges facing Afghanistan and the wider region. President Obama and President Ghani reiterated their commitments under the U.S.-Afghanistan Enduring Strategic Partnership Agreement (SPA) and the U.S.–Afghanistan Security and Defense Cooperation Agreement (also known as the Bilateral Security Agreement, or BSA) to advance common objectives in these and other areas. The Presidents welcomed the decision of Secretary of State Kerry and Foreign Minister Rabbani made on March 23 at Camp David to meet again in Kabul this year to restart the U.S.-Afghanistan Bilateral Commission meetings and to review progress in the implementation of the SPA.

Promoting Our Shared Democratic Values

President Obama commended President Ghani, Chief Executive Abdullah and the Afghan people on the landmark 2014 presidential election resulting in the first democratic and peaceful transfer of power in Afghanistan’s history. President Ghani noted that the broad based and inclusive National Unity Government that emerged from that election enjoys the full support of the Afghan people. President Obama welcomed the recent announcement of a slate of cabinet nominees. President Ghani reaffirmed the new Afghan government’s commitment to maintaining and expanding the role of an independent, vibrant civil society and to protecting the human rights of all Afghans. President Obama encouraged a strong partnership between President Ghani and Chief Executive Abdullah and welcomed the National Unity Government’s goals of promoting security, economic growth, democracy and human rights, in particular the rights of women and minorities.  President Obama further welcomed the announcement of the establishment of the Afghan Special Commission for Electoral Reform envisioned in the September 2014 political framework as a means to further the national unity government’s goals in this area and offered financial support for Afghan electoral operations and reform efforts.

Advancing Long-Term Security and Strengthening the Peace Process

President Ghani and President Obama reaffirmed their shared commitment, reflected in the SPA and BSA, to closely cooperate in preventing terrorists from ever again using Afghan soil to threaten Afghanistan, the region, or the world. President Obama hailed the successful completion of the security transition, the end of the NATO-led combat mission, and Afghan forces taking the lead on, and full responsibility for, security throughout Afghanistan. The leaders also acknowledged the important continuing role of NATO’s new Resolute Support Mission in supporting the further development of the ANDSF’s capabilities.

Both Presidents saluted the courage and growing capability of Afghan security forces, including their success in securing the elections last year. The leaders joined in paying their respects to the families of Afghan soldiers and civilians who have been killed or injured in the 13-year war. President Ghani and Chief Executive Abdullah also offered condolences to the families of American soldiers and civilians who were killed and injured while serving in Afghanistan, and on behalf of the Afghan people, expressed gratitude to the American people for their sacrifices and continued support.

Both sides agreed on an early formation of the Joint Commission to oversee the implementation of the BSA and President Obama affirmed ongoing U.S. support for Afghan security forces.  Based on President Ghani’s request for flexibility in the U.S. draw down timeline, the U.S. will maintain its current posture of 9,800 troops through the end of 2015.  The specific trajectory of the 2016 U.S. troop drawdown will be established later in 2015 to enable the U.S. troop consolidation to a Kabul-based embassy presence by the end of 2016. This flexibility reflects the re-invigorated partnership with Afghanistan, which is aimed at making Afghanistan secure and preventing it from being used to launch terrorist attacks.  Reconciliation and a political settlement remain the surest way to achieve the full retrograde of U.S. and foreign troops from Afghanistan in a way that safeguards international interests and peace in Afghanistan, as well as U.S. national security interests.  Consistent with the principles of the SPA and BSA and as part of the broader bilateral security relationship, the two Presidents agreed to continue a dialogue on U.S. and Afghan counterterrorism (CT) objectives, to include the development of a joint CT partnership strategy through and beyond 2016.

While reaffirming their determination to cooperate against those who advocate violence and extremism, President Obama and President Ghani also stressed the need for an Afghan-led peace process, enjoying regional support, in particular from Pakistan, noting that as a part of the outcome of any such process, the Taliban and other armed opposition groups must end violence, break ties with international terrorist groups, and accept Afghanistan’s constitution, including its protections for the rights of women and minorities.  President Ghani and Chief Executive Abdullah emphasized their mutual and strong determination to advance a reconciliation process based on these principles.  President Obama reaffirmed strong U.S. support for an Afghan-led, Afghan-owned peace process and committed to make available additional financial support for the Afghan Peace and Reintegration Program (APRP) to facilitate the peaceful reintegration of former combatants into their local communities.

President Obama welcomed recent developments in Afghan-Pakistani relations. Both leaders emphasized the importance of continued efforts to advance Afghan-Pakistani dialogue aimed at building trust and producing tangible progress in the peace process, and improving the security situation in Afghanistan, Pakistan and the region at large.

Reinforcing Regional Security and Cooperation

The leaders called on all countries in the region to support Afghanistan’s security, stability and prosperity. Both presidents endorsed efforts to deepen the Heart of Asia-Istanbul Process and expressed appreciation to China for hosting the October 2014 Heart of Asia summit and to Pakistan for hosting the next meeting later this year. President Obama welcomed steps by the National Unity Government to integrate Afghanistan more fully into the regional economy through various regional organizations, processes and programs and committed continued U.S. support for those efforts. President Ghani presented a development strategy built around regional connectivity, good governance, and investments for productivity.  Central to this strategy is cooperation between Afghanistan and the region through trade, transit and investments.  The two Presidents agreed to work to bring together like-minded countries to discuss Afghanistan and regional integration efforts at a high-level meeting on the margins of the 2015 United Nations General Assembly meeting.

Fostering Social and Economic Development

The leaders acknowledged the significant challenges Afghanistan is facing as it strives to overcome its current budgetary gap, and become increasingly economically and fiscally self-reliant. Emphasizing that economic reform is a central pillar of the National Unity Government’s agenda, President Ghani briefed President Obama on specific steps the Afghan government is taking to combat corruption, increase transparency, reduce poverty and create jobs.  President Ghani noted that in addition to many recent achievements, Afghanistan continues to face formidable challenges, including the need to root out corruption and strengthen good governance, build the foundation for sustainable and inclusive economic growth, increase regional connectivity, and address illicit drug production in Afghanistan.  In support of these efforts, President Obama and President Ghani announced a New Development Partnership that would focus up to $800 million in U.S. economic assistance on urgent Afghan priorities tied to Afghan achievements of specific development results and implementation of key policy reforms. President Obama also welcomed the recent successful negotiation of an IMF Staff Monitored Program for Afghanistan.  President Ghani committed to take action on all necessary steps needed to implement this program.

Both Presidents further welcomed the decision to resume regular meetings of the Trade and Investment Framework Agreement Council and the agreement to expand capacity-building cooperation between the U.S. Treasury Department and relevant Afghan government agencies as set forth in the agreement signed by Treasury Secretary Lew and Finance Minister Hakimi on March 23 at Camp David.

President Obama and President Ghani agreed that Afghan prosperity depended on the development of the country’s human capital. To this end President Ghani reiterated the Afghan government’s determination to educate all Afghan boys and girls.  President Obama expressed U.S. intent to provide sustained support for education in Afghanistan. Noting the significant impact that educational and cultural exchanges have had on Afghan and American society, and the U.S. commitment in the SPA to promote such programs, President Obama announced the U.S. intention to increase the number of Fulbright fellowships available to qualified Afghan students by 50 percent for the next five years, making this one of the largest Fulbright programs in the world. In addition, President Obama announced the establishment of an $18 million USAID scholarship program to support women attending universities throughout Afghanistan. The two presidents also welcomed the decision of the Smithsonian Institution to host a major exhibition of contemporary Afghan handicrafts in 2016.

Strengthening Afghan Institutions and Governance

President Ghani and Chief Executive Abdullah outlined the National Unity Government’s efforts to improve government performance, effectiveness, efficiency, and combat corruption. They also underscored the National Unity Government’s commitment to upholding the rule of law and reforming the judiciary. They stressed that restoring Afghan people’s confidence in justice institutions is a top priority for the Afghan government. President Obama and President Ghani agreed on the importance of cooperating to provide justice sector personnel with the skills and qualifications needed to counter narcotics, ensure safe and humane corrections, expand legal education, protect the rights of women and girls, and provide other essential justice services.

Conclusion

This visit constituted the first meeting among President Obama, President Ghani and Chief Executive Abdullah since the inauguration of the National Unity Government last September and marked a pivotal moment in the U.S.–Afghan partnership. Looking back, it was an opportunity to review the remarkable strategic, political and economic achievements of this partnership and the successful completion of the security transition in Afghanistan. Looking forward, both presidents endorsed a vision of a sustained relationship rooted in shared values, interests and sacrifices, bound by mutual commitments enshrined in the U.S.–Afghanistan Enduring Strategic Partnership Agreement.  

SECRETARY KERRY'S REMARKS WITH AFGHAN OFFICIALS AFTER THEIR MEETING

FROM:  U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT 

Remarks With Afghan Officials After Their Meeting

Remarks

John Kerry

Secretary of State

UNAMA Special Representative Jan Kubis; Afghan Presidential Candidate Abdullah Abdullah; Afghan Presidential Candidate Ashraf Ghani

United Nations Assistance Mission

Kabul, Afghanistan

August 8, 2014

MR. ABDULLAH: Ladies and gentlemen, I am very pleased to inform our people at this very critical moment of our history that today myself, our teams, and Dr. Ashraf Ghani and his team – we are taking another step forward in the interests of start strengthening national unity in the country, strengthening the rule of law in the country, and also bringing a hope for the future – a better future for the people of Afghanistan.

Today’s joint statement is the result of efforts by both teams – Dr. Arshaf Ghani at the top of his own team and our own team work together. And we are also delighted to have the support of the international community here, and I would like to thank Secretary Kerry for his effort in supporting our joint efforts for the better future for Afghanistan, as well as Ambassador Kubis who has facilitated part of these efforts earlier.

As a result of today’s joint statement, which gives better hopes for the people of Afghanistan, we are committed to the audit process which is underway, and we will be cooperative in pursuing and pushing it in order to complete it, hopefully, at such a time that it will help Afghanistan also to attain its own international (inaudible), which are important for us. Legitimacy of the process will be restored as a result of this comprehensive internationally supervised audit.

In regards to the political agreement, once again, I reiterate that today was another step forward for the affirmation of both sides’ interests and commitment to the previous agreement – political framework agreement, and also further developing it and also moving forward in the implementation of it. So from now on, I hope that the atmosphere of campaigning is behind us, hopefully completely to a large extent, and then a new phase in the political life of the people of Afghanistan will start, and we are committed to working together on the basis of our common vision for the future of the country in order to utilize the opportunities which are ahead of us and to be able to deal with the challenges which we are faced with.

And we thank once again the commitment of the international partners, not only in support of our effort, which today’s event is another example, but also their reaffirmation, reaffirmation of their commitment, that a legitimate outcome of the elections will help them, enable them, to fulfill their commitments to all the people of Afghanistan, in support of the people of Afghanistan, in strengthening the rule of law, in helping the economy of the country, and helping security in Afghanistan and also the strengthening of our institutions.

So I would like to thank Secretary Kerry, Ambassador Kubis, but more than anything else, Dr. Ashraf Ghani, for his spirit of cooperation throughout the talks, and his colleagues. And hopefully from now on the people of Afghanistan will be witness to a new phase in the political life of the country.

Thank you.

MR. GHANI: Ladies and gentlemen, it gives me great pleasure to share with you as my dear colleague Dr. Abdullah has shared with you that he and I have reached agreement and signed a communique on defining our future cooperation. This communique reflects our sense of national obligation and our duty to put the interests of Afghanistan – every child, every woman, every man – above everything else.

The country cannot take uncertainty; uncertainty is a threat. Our action today and in following weeks should create an environment of certainty and trust. We trust each other. We will work with each other to fulfill this national duty and obligation to every Afghan.

The basis of our cooperation is defined by our mutual commitment to the constitution of Afghanistan. The constitution reflects our supreme values, because our constitution is a reflection of our Islamic values and national values and our sense of aspirations for being a society that we deserve. We therefore are committed to make sure that every article of the constitution acquires embodiment in practice in our relationships, our sense of reforms that every Afghan will proudly claim that she or he is a citizen of this country, and therefore enjoys equal rights and obligations.

Because of our commitments, previous commitments that, again, we thank Secretary Kerry for having facilitated, we’ve moved now to direct intra-Afghan discussions and obligations. We thank Secretary Kerry and, of course, Ambassador Kubis and all the international community for having performed a facilitating role. But we the leaders of the two teams, the candidates that the people of – the people – the two candidates that the people of Afghanistan voted for overwhelmingly bear the sole responsibility for peace, stability and democratic values in this country. And I hope that our commitment today honors back the commitment of our people who participated, braved all elements to ensure that democratic values were not just theoretical statements but actions of millions of individuals.

To honor those individuals, we have committed ourselves to one of the most comprehensive audits imaginable in history. And we affirm today again both our support for this process of audit and our commitment to abide by its results. But to underline our sense of unity of purpose, we are affirming that we will form a government of national unity to implement what we promised during the campaign.

What unites us is far greater than what divided us during the campaign, because each one of us and both of us are committed to the well-being of every Afghan child, every woman, every man – particularly the poor, the disabled, the displaced, those who cannot live in dignity and are in search of food on an everyday basis.

Political agreement, political consensus is key to coming out of a vicious circle to a virtuous circle. We live in a dangerous world and in a dangerous neighborhood, the Islamic world – countries that did not practice consensus and tolerance of each other or in full, in bringing unbelievable hardship to their people. We just need to recall Syria and Iraq today. Because of this we are determined that our beloved Afghanistan will be the first country that will start a virtuous circle of unity, reform commitment, and full tolerance.

We hope that by end of August the results of the audit will be completed and the next president of Afghanistan will be inaugurated, that Afghanistan takes its rightful place again in the community of nations and we bring an end to the sense of uncertainty. Our teams have started work in earnest to prepare work on transition, how to address the daily lives of our people, their daily concerns for food, for milk, for security, for well-being, but more than anything else, for a sense of certainty. So there will no longer be election crisis, the crisis of uncertainty. The crisis of uncertainty must end, and we hope that together we can achieve what the people of Afghanistan expect us to achieve.

I am honored again by the nature of the dialogues that I’ve had with my brother and colleague, Dr. Abdullah, and we will continue. Every dialogue does not mean that immediately we agree on everything, but it’s remarkable how much we agree on. So we have an enormous foundation to go forward, and today I was delighted that Dr. Abdullah and I, like in the past when he was foreign minister and I was finance minister, could complete each other’s sentences in front of Secretary Kerry. That I take as a very good omen.

And I’d like to thank Secretary Kerry for his selfless help, for facilitating the agreement, but for particularly understanding that a nation and its leaders need to find their own way to stability, independence.

We thank you, Mr. Secretary, for your stewardship of the global well-being and for being such a friend of our country. And we hope to be working with you – both of us – and we look very much forward to continuing working, Ambassador Kubis, with you and with the international community.

MR. ABDULLAH: Here I realize that Mr. Rohshad, which is a famous longtime journalist in Afghanistan which has covered Afghanistan for many, many years and Afghans are familiar with his voice, he lost several members of his family in a terrorist attack last week, just a few days ago. He’s here. I express my deepest condolences to him, to his family, and to the people of Afghanistan. And I pray that the (inaudible) of sadness and tragedy is out of Afghanistan and Afghanistan is not witness to such tragic incidents. I wish you strength in the wake of this – after this tragic event.

MR. GHANI: I’d like to also take this opportunity to express my deepest condolences to Secretary Kerry for the cowardly murder of General Greene and for the attack on our military academy. Our military academy is the pride of our cooperation with the international community, particularly with the United States, U.K., and other members of ISAF.

General Greene was an engineer, never participated in combat. He was here to help us build one of the finest schools of engineering within our military academy. This sad event again reminds us why we must redouble our efforts to create peace, security, prosperity, and stability, which all of us need. And we thank again the United States for its cooperation in this area, and again, please Mr. Secretary, we express our deepest sympathies to the members of your armed forces, to the President of the United States, and to the families of General Greene.

SECRETARY KERRY: As-salaam alaykum. Good afternoon. Before I say some words about the statements that you’ve just heard from Afghanistan’s future leaders – and I mean leaders plural – one of these men is going to be president, but both of these men are going to be critical to the future of Afghanistan no matter what. And to my right and left, you see their supporters here in great strength, all of them supporting the very eloquent, very precise, and very important statements that were made here today. And I will say more about that in a minute.

But first, I want to say a brief word about the situation in Iraq. President Obama acted expeditiously and appropriately to authorize targeted military action and to provide significant humanitarian assistance to the people of Iraq at this very difficult time when it is vitally needed. The stakes for Iraq’s future could also not be more clear, and today’s crisis underscores them significantly. ISIL’s campaign of terror against the innocent, including the Yezedi and Christian minorities, and its grotesque targeted acts of violence show all the warning signs of genocide. For anyone who needed a wakeup call, this is it. ISIL is not fighting on behalf of Sunnis. ISIL is not fighting for a stronger Iraq. ISIL is fighting to divide and destroy Iraq, and it’s fighting to create a state of its own brutal oppression, a place where chaos and brutality – ruthless brutality – governs.

Now with a gut-wrenching humanitarian crisis unfolding before our eyes and the roles of the starving and the sick growing daily and the potential of further executions – cold blooded executions – taking place because people are a minority huddled for safety on a mountaintop – because of that the United States, with President Obama’s decision, has made its decision that it must save these lives, and the world needs to join us in a condemnation of ISIL’s actions. President Obama has been unequivocal that he will do what is necessary and what is in our national interest to confront ISIL and its threat to the security of the region and to our own security in the long run.

It has been equally clear, as I have said in each of my visits to Iraq, in all my conversations with Iraqi and with regional leaders, that the only durable way to stop ISIL is for Iraq’s leaders themselves to unite and form a government that represents all of the people as rapidly as possible within their constitutional framework. They have moved very effectively so far to elect a speaker, to elect a president, and now the next step is to provide a prime minister, and we urge them to do so quickly.

I want to emphasize that in the President’s decision the safety and security of the men and women serving overseas for the United States is also a fundamental consideration, and I will remain very closely engaged with our Ambassador Stephen Beecroft, with our Assistant Secretary of State Brett McGurk, and our team on the ground as we work to ensure that our personnel who are in Erbil and Baghdad and across Iraq are secure.

Now that brings me quickly back to here and Afghanistan and to this important moment. We all know the risks to our personnel and particularly the risks to Afghans every single day. Mr. Rohshad, our heart goes out to you and to your family. You are one of many who have suffered over the course of these 13 years. And I believe that the words today of these two leaders, Dr. Ghani and Dr. Abdullah – more importantly the actions of these two leaders today – to unite for Afghanistan, to bring themselves together in the interest of their country, to define an Afghan roadmap for the way ahead is a very important transitional moment for Afghanistan.

Now, obviously – and I appreciate enormously their words with respect to the shooting of U.S. Army Major General Harold Greene three days ago. I want to say to General Greene’s family that universally in my visit here the first words out of the mouth of every Afghan has been to say how sorry they are, how much they regret what happened to this general who was here helping the people of this country, and they express to America and particularly to his family their deepest condolences.

General Greene, for all those who met him – I did not have the privilege of meeting him, but I’ve heard about him, and I’ve heard about him from General Dunford when I was here in the last two days – was a soldier’s soldier, even though he wasn’t in combat. He knew his people, he knew what he stood for, and for three decades, he loyally served his country in the United States Army. He was a humble man, a quiet man, and he earned the respect of military leaders for his singular ability to display wisdom. He was a thinker and an innovator who earned a doctorate from the University of Southern California and who used new technologies in order to try to help the young recruits that he was trying to teach at this school. Above all, he was a family man and a loyal mentor of his community. One of his Army colleagues summed it up this way just by saying, “He was a good guy. Harry was loved.” So we wish his loved ones the strength and the compassion that they need in order to be able to mourn the loss of a special man and themselves find the comfort of the days ahead.

Now I came here today at the direction of the president that I work for, President Obama, to continue the work of General Greene and so many other brave men and women, Afghans and Americans and many others from many other countries, more than 50, who have come together under ISAF in order to work for the future of Afghanistan. These are all people who have dedicated their lives to building a stable, united, sovereign Afghanistan.

During my last visit here, we stood right here in this room after several days of very intensive negotiations, and both candidates took a very important step towards that goal of a sovereign, unified, stable Afghanistan. They shook hands – they raised them high right here in front of all the people of Afghanistan and the world – to express their enthusiasm for the agreement, which began to set forth the road ahead.

But during recent weeks, as is often the case, a number of questions arose, both about the technical aspects of the audit process as well as the political questions about the political road ahead. So today, I’m very pleased to join them in a different kind of moment. I’m here to support them and to commend them on their leadership, on their initiative to be able to come together and work through some of these difficult issues. And it’s been our privilege to be able to facilitate, but this is really an Afghan solution to an Afghan problem. And that’s very important for the road ahead.

We now have in place the largest audit that the United Nations has ever conducted in any country in history, the deepest audit that they have ever conducted. And that’s why we have a big man here to do the job. (Laughter.) Ambassador Kubis is really dedicated to this, and we have in place the ability with both parties now agreeing to the rules of the road. Both parties have agreed to stay at it and both parties have agreed to live by the outcome. And they have understood that the United Nations will pour even additional energy into the effort to make this happen as competently and as rapidly as is humanly possible.

But in addition to the candidates coming together to define the audit road ahead with clarity, they have also come together to define the political road ahead. And as you’ve heard them, they’ve just described to you the ways in which they are going to work together from this moment forward in order to change the dialogue, change the rhetoric, begin to map out the future, work towards the transition, begin to figure out how to fix the economy, how to move the country forward – all of those issues which people have been working for 13 years, but because of the nature of an election and a transition have been stalled for a period of time. So both candidates have defined a road to a unity government, and they will begin now to meet together and to map out that transition ahead.

I don’t think anybody here would doubt that this is a major step for the road ahead for Afghanistan. It is coming almost singularly because both of these candidates are transforming themselves now into the statesmen that will be required to be the president of the country. And they are both focused on Afghanistan, not on themselves. Their supporters, who are passionate in support of their candidate, as they should be, are shifting their focus to the future and to Afghanistan.

The United States and the United Nations and the international community are deeply engaged in the post-election process solely to help the Afghan election institutions restore credibility to the voting process. We want every vote that was legitimately cast to be honored appropriately, and both candidates have agreed that that is their goal.

I want to commend the dedication of ISAF, the UN, particularly the efforts of Jan Kubis and Jeff Fischer and the others, all the people who’ve come from other countries in order to help this. ISAF has delivered every single ballot box from everywhere in the country to here in Kabul, and they are currently under lock and key and under security and will remain so to preserve the integrity of the election outcome. The UN has brought in specialists from around the world, and dozens more are on the way even as we speak today.

And I urge now to all countries invested in the effort, who have been part of this journey over the last years, and to others who may not have signed up to ISAF but can care about the future of Afghanistan – we need more election experts to come here as rapidly as possible to help to finish this on time. Their job is to ensure that the audit meets the laws of Afghanistan, the highest international standards, and most importantly the expectations of the people of Afghanistan. And the Afghan Independent Election Commission, the UN, and dozens of international observers are going to work together, hand in hand, in order to try to provide the outcome that the people of Afghanistan expect.

So let me be clear – this audit is not about winning and losing. It’s about achieving the credible result that the people of Afghanistan demand and deserve. The audit is only one part of the challenge. Equally important, if not more important, will be the actions of these two candidates in the days ahead. Dr. Abdullah and Dr. Ghani and their campaigns have made a profound decision today about that future. They’ve agreed to continue to translate the political agreement that they’ve reached – that they have reached, that they have worked on, that they have defined, the Afghan approach. They have committed to continue, no matter who becomes president, in order to find a government that can help Afghanistan move forward.

I want to make clear that this agreement respects the Afghan constitution, which the United States of America strongly supports. It does not establish a parliamentary system, it doesn’t change the role of the president as head of government, but it does create a new position of the chief executive, who will help to manage and work together to bring people onto the same path and to create efficiency and modernity in the governance. The agreement is a critical opportunity for both candidates to do what they’ve just said, which is move beyond the campaign and into the process of governing.

It’s a pivotal moment for Afghanistan. The stakes are high. It will depend on them and the United Nations to help move this forward appropriately. And I think there are high expectations from the world. It is our hope, obviously, that when this job is done NATO partners would very much look forward to welcoming President Karzai’s successor with his unity government partner in Wales at the NATO summit in September so that we can all come together, embrace their vision, and begin to put in place the government that Afghanistan wants and deserves. Thank you.

MODERATOR: Ladies and gents, we now have time for roughly two questions. Please wait for the microphone. Is the microphone ready? No microphone? Okay, you may have to speak up in that case.

The first question, please. Rativ Nudi from TOLOnews. Rativ, yes. Please stand up. Speak up, please.

QUESTION: (Off-mike.)

MODERATOR: Maybe not.

QUESTION: I would like to ask a question about the framework agreement. After (inaudible) Afghanistan (inaudible), there have been some arguments among – before the election campaigns, among both the candidates on the matter of the new government. As you say, (inaudible) change the (inaudible), and also it doesn’t change the responsibility of the president. But exactly, what would be the responsibilities of the (inaudible)?

SECRETARY KERRY: Well, let me let the next president speak to that. (Laughter.)

MR. GHANI: (Off-mike.)

SECRETARY KERRY: I didn’t mean to create a news (inaudible), but go ahead.

MR. GHANI: Thank you for your question. We’re committed to giving this post specific functions and the work ahead of us is precisely definition, of course. But what I want to emphasize is not what is going to be in the decree. What I want to emphasize is our commitment to cooperation, to unity in all spheres of government, life, and responsibilities. A decree is a piece of paper if it is not embodied in a bed of impasses. So we will begin with the problem to which we will commit ourselves and then agree on the best division of labor that will enable (inaudible).

MR. ABDULLAH: Thank you. And in the same spirit that was mutually accepted that we work together towards the formation of national unity government in every eventuality, because there will not be two people with the same number of votes as a result of the audit. One will have more votes; one will have a little bit more – less votes. And then in order to help create, establish a sort of win-win situation not only for our two camps, but more importantly for the people of Afghanistan we have agreed on this mutual program. And there are some details attached to it. We are committed to work together to develop it further and our teams will start working on this, on the details of it, of a few days, leaving the outcome of the elections aside or what has happened in the past, but rather looking towards the future for the interest of the national unity of the government in the effectiveness and competence of future government of Afghanistan, with every eventuality which might come up as a result of the audit process.

QUESTION: Sir, can I --

MODERATOR: No. Sorry, folks, but we’re doing this in order. Sorry. We have --

QUESTION: I have two questions.

MODERATOR: -- very, very short time. Ladies and gents, we are very short for time. We have time for one more question, I’m sorry to say, just one more question. Please don’t stand up, but do speak up. Michael Gordon, New York Times.

QUESTION: I’ll speak up, can’t stand up. First, to Secretary Kerry: Secretary Kerry, last month you brokered an important agreement here which – for the audit of ballots and power-sharing arrangements. And no sooner did you leave than problems arose here in Kabul on carrying forward this agreement. Beyond the enunciation of these broad principles about the value of the unity government, were there any concrete accomplishments during your day and a half of talks here, any concrete agreement on specific items of how the unity government will be structured? And if so, what were they?

And a second question for Secretary Kerry: You just mentioned the situation in Iraq and how President Obama authorized targeted airstrikes to stop an ISIL advance on Erbil or Baghdad, but it would appear from the statements that are made by senior officials that the Obama Administration’s strategy is to contain the ISIL threat, not necessarily roll it back. If the Iraqis were to form a multi-sectarian government, would the Obama Administration be prepared to use air power to help the Iraqis retake Fallujah, Mosul, and these territories that are under ISIS control? And will the Obama Administration now send arms to the Kurds, as they’ve been asking for?

And next, I want to state a question to the candidates, Dr. Abdullah and Dr. Ghani. (Laughter.) Can you cite any --

MR. ABDULLAH: (Off-mike.) (Laughter.)

QUESTION: No, one question for you. Can you each state without equivocation that you are confident you can achieve the inauguration of a new president before the NATO summit? What concrete accomplishments can you state were achieved here over the last day and a half?

SECRETARY KERRY: Well, let me begin, Michael, by first – I want to answer the question on the – and I’m only going to answer part of it, because I believe it’s up to the two candidates to articulate the accomplishments, not me. But I will say to you that within the agreement that they have put together, there are very specific set of agreements that they’ve laid down, and they should describe it. So yes, there are specific accomplishments.

Secondly, your judgment about very quickly it sort of began to fray after we were here is not actually accurate. I think both candidates will tell you that for several days – five or six days, a week – there was a sense of energy and enthusiasm and euphoria, and people felt like they had come together. But then there was a lack of clarity about some of the steps to be taken within the audit process itself, and there were a couple of questions about terminology regarding the political framework agreement. Those have now been worked through, both of them. And that’s what brings everybody back here with a greater clarity about the steps that we’ve taken. That is why both candidates are here today to say they are not asking for further criteria or changes, they have agreed to what has been laid down by Jan Kubis and the UN, and they’ve agreed on the process, they will stay with the process, and they will abide by the process. That’s an accomplishment.

With respect to Iraq, President Obama has made it clear initially that his immediate response is to the crisis of a minority group that has been chased up into a mountain, that has been threatened with extinction, told that they will be executed, and who are seeking refuge in a mountain where they are dying because of their exposure in the elements. So he is immediately responding to that need to provide humanitarian assistance and also, because of the advance of ISIL, to make it clear that American personnel who are at risk are going to be protected by the United States of America and that those strikes were authorized in the event that they begin to move in any direction, either towards those people on the mountain or towards personnel that may be in danger.

With respect to the formation of government in the future, the President has taken no option off the table. And there are current discussions taking place, and they will continue to take place with respect to those options.

MR. ABDULLAH: On the date, 31st of August, we are committed to work with a cooperative experts to achieve that goal and to make sure that we are there by the end of August, the audit process is completed, without sacrificing the credibility and legitimacy of the audit process, because that’s the goal. But the goal – the time is also very important because of our international commitments, and also more important because of the Afghan people’s expectation. They want to see an outcome. And from now on, I hope that the people of Afghanistan will be more hopeful, will have much better sense of certainty now that we have gone beyond talking about an agreement, a framework, but rather starting – started stepping in the road – on the road towards formation of national unity government whatever the outcome of the audit process was. And there is a joint statement attached to that, is that framework – political framework agreement, which is very clear, and it’s – the joint statement has elaborated the vision, common vision of both candidates, both teams towards the future of Afghanistan and also the (inaudible). Thank you.

QUESTION: (Off-mike.)

MR. GHANI: Questions are over, I think.

PARTICIPANT: (Off-mike.)

QUESTION: (Off-mike.)

MR. GHANI: First, we’ve brought clarity to the audit process in that it is going to end as soon as feasible. We are categorically committed to accepting the results of the audit and the date for the inauguration of the next president of Afghanistan. I hope that this date can become very firm within a week to ten days, pending on – but we do not want to commit ourselves to a fixed date today because that date will then drive the process and people will (inaudible). So our flexibility on this very issue is the cornerstone of our consensus, and this should be grasped as a very important process. We have committed that the audit process now is going to pick up speed. Yesterday we accomplished 720 boxes, which was a benchmark, and we hope that they can speed this up and credibly reach a higher level that, again, needs to be determined by our technical people.

On the political side, a concrete achievement is that now we’re seeking a comprehensive agreement in our own languages, in our own categories of reference, with full embodiment of the constitution as the cornerstone of everything we do, because questions ahead of us. We’ve put those ambiguities behind us. The constitutional framework is the cornerstone. The authorities of the president as defined in the constitution are going to be exercised. We are seeking a government of national unity on the basis of a common platform that is going to deliver the necessary reforms. I think these are very significant achievements, and most significantly of all, we are putting the past behind us, we’re looking to the future.

The communique is signed by us, by both of us, and it will be issued to you, because this is a community. The full agreement, as we described, is going to require immense amounts of work from our teams and from ourselves. We as the leaders have committed to intensive dialogue to be – to create a shared understanding of challenges and opportunities. And let me underline: Afghanistan is not just challenges. It is enormous (inaudible). And one of the most significant is that the next president of Afghanistan will have the full legitimacy that has come from an audited process that does not have any parallel anywhere. And a sense of commitment and maturity of the Afghan political elite that understands that solving the problems of our country cannot happen on the basis of the winner-take-all approach. Our mutual – the mutual acknowledgment of our dependence for the good of the country is an enormous accomplishment, and that’s the foundation on the basis of which we hope to build and continue. Thank you.

MODERATOR: Ladies --

QUESTION: (Inaudible) question.

QUESTION: (Inaudible) question.

MODERATOR: Ladies and gents, we are pushed for time. I’m sorry, but we are pushed for time, so --

QUESTION: (Off-mike.)

MODERATOR: The two candidates must leave, and Secretary Kerry as well. Sorry.

QUESTION: Do you think in Gaza it’s genocide? Would you use the two words genocide --

MODERATOR: We are pushed for time. Thank you very much for your attention and your patience, folks. Thank you very much, everyone.

SECRETARY KERRY'S REMARKS WITH AFGHANISTAN'S PRESIDENT KARZAI, UN OFFICIAL JAN KUBIS

FROM:  U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT 

Remarks With Afghan President Hamid Karzai and Head of UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan Jan Kubis

Remarks

John Kerry

Secretary of State

Kabul, Afghanistan

July 12, 2014

---

PRESIDENT KARZAI: (Via interpreter) In the name of God, (inaudible) media, welcome to today’s conference. You have been waiting since Iftar. I apologize for that. Today, we have His Excellency John Kerry, Secretary of State to the United States with us, as well as His Exellency Jan Kubis, Special Representative of the United Nations to Afghanistan. As you’re all aware that his visit to Afghanistan – John Kerry’s visit to Afghanistan was about elections, and His Excellency’s Jan Kubis’s effort and hard work about the elections of Afghanistan. He’s been involved in that.

Dear (inaudible) countrymen, the first round and second round of the election in Afghanistan has been held. Second round of the elections – voices of fraud have been heard, and in order to reach and address the issues and establish some sort of understanding between them has (inaudible) has started.

This effort’s been undertaken by the (inaudible) presidents as well as the commissions – election commissions, compliance commissions. After as well as (inaudible) the votes were counted, His Excellency Dr. Abdullah Abdullah announced that in order to address the problems of election, mainly fraud, ask the United Nations to intervene and find a possible solution.

I and my deputies, in order to speed up these efforts and in order to avoid any kind of misunderstanding, we accepted Dr. Abdullah Abdullah’s request. After that, we had a discussion with Mr. Jan Kubis, who was ready to intervene and find a solution. And following that, I talked to my brother Abdullah Abdullah on the phone, and he agreed.

After that, I talked to Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai on the phone and asked him if he agrees to Dr. Abdullah’s request. He said whatever solution that can address this problem is welcomed by him, and he accepted our requests. As you are all aware that after two – election 2009, I always try to strengthen our Afghan national election institution, and it should – (inaudible) is to run under the leadership of the Afghans. Considering the current situation and to speed up the process, we accepted the intervention of United Nations. Mr. Jan Kubis started his efforts to address this.

His Excellency John Kerry, Secretary of State to the United States of America, has been in contact with candidates and he eventually traveled to Afghanistan so that he can find a possible solution along with the presidential candidates tonight. As you witnessed on – they had a press conference, both brothers – our candidates, Dr. Abdullah Abdullah and Dr. Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai along with His Excellency John Kerry and Mr. Jan Kubis at the – they had some announcements which I welcome (inaudible) announcement and supporters’ announcements, and I hope that 100 percent audit of the votes will take place and start as soon as possible so that the nation of Afghanistan finally elect their next president.

We hope that the commissions – the commission IEC and – both commissions, the election commission and the compliance commission – will accept these suggestions and speed up the process in cooperation with United Nations and international observers. The people of Afghanistan all have been patient so far, and at the meantime, they all (inaudible) and they would like to hear soon about the result of the election and witness their next president of Afghanistan. And the work of the government’s been slowed down these days and their hope is that the audit that’s been announced today, that 100 percent audit will take place, will start as soon as possible, the best way possible, so that as soon as this process completed, the inauguration ceremony will take place for the next president of Afghanistan.

It was supposed to take place on August 2. We were prepared – all the preparation were made, but now I hope that the commissions will (inaudible) this and agree this – to this suggestion and finish and conclude this as soon as possible so that we can have the next president of Afghanistan – elect the next president of Afghanistan and the inauguration will take place.

Afghanistan president will be a strong president, the people of Afghanistan will take (inaudible). The Afghan people are committed and united and they stand on each other and this land, this soil is (inaudible) service of the Afghan people, and it’s been always protected. But we (inaudible) by the people of Afghanistan. It will continue. The Afghan people are committed for democracy and they believe, beside all the (inaudible), beside all the instabilities and (inaudible) and uncertainties, all the people were encouraged and convinced to participate and elect the next president of Afghanistan as well as provincial council. The Afghan people votes is to be respected. We will respect and honor their votes, and the next president will take over (inaudible).

I would like to stop now and hand it – allow His Excellency John Kerry and which – His Excellency (inaudible) to deliver (inaudible), a mission that keep its destiny, its own hand, well determined future.

SECRETARY KERRY: Well, Mr. President Karzai, thank you very, very much, sir. It is a pleasure to be with you again. And I want to thank you for your very generous hospitality, and again, I missed Iftar tonight because we were busy having conversations. But last night, you entertained us with great stories and a great sense of the unbelievable generosity of Afghanistan, and we’re very grateful to you.

I also am particularly grateful – I had a chance to speak a few minutes ago at the UN Headquarters with both of the candidates, Dr. Ghani and Dr. Abdullah. I think it is fair to say that both of them spoke with great eloquence about their vision for Afghanistan and about the choice that they are making to come together for the unity of the country. I want to thank President Karzai for his role in supporting this effort in these last days, and even before I came here, to make it clear that he knew that it was important that the democracy that is springing up here be given its opportunity to have full bloom. And that is something that he is deeply committed to, and in these next days, we will be able to achieve.

President Karzai and I have traveled an interesting journey in the last years. We’ve known each other on many different – in many different events and many different times, but none more so than in 2009 when I had the privilege of spending a fair amount of time with him talking about how to help grow this democracy. We took long walks here on the palace grounds, we spent meals together, we talked through a very difficult period. And I witnessed his political skill and his ability to be able to try to put the country first, ahead of any other interests. Again tonight, President Karzai is doing that, and he has done so in the last days by honoring the notion that the international community could play a constructive role, and by inviting us to be helpful in the effort to try to bring the candidates together in a thoughtful way.

This will be still a difficult road because there are important obligations of audit. There will be difficult choices that will be made. It will still require leadership and statesmanship from both of the candidates. But tonight, Afghanistan saw a moment of what unity can mean. Tonight, Afghanistan saw two opposing candidates with passionate supporters bring their supporters together in the interests of country, in the interests of something bigger than each of them individually. We hope that the promise of the next weeks will deliver the authenticity and credibility that the people of Afghanistan deserve in the presentation of the next president of this country.

And so I thank President Karzai for his willingness to move the inauguration in response to the request of both candidates and the United Nations. I know he had been planning to leave on the 2nd of August, but he is willing to obviously stay the course because he is invested in this democracy, as are the people of the country. So I thank him for that. I am grateful for, again, the willingness to work with us and the great hospitality that we’ve had.

And because of that, if this works, if people will stay the course and everybody works together, the people of Afghanistan, for the first time in the history of the country, will have the peaceful transition at the ballot box of one president to another. That’s worth the fight, and I’m proud to be here with America standing behind Afghanistan, and President Obama could not be more pleased and more prepared to help complete this journey. Thank you.

MR. KUBIS: Your Excellency, President Karzai, may I start by applauding your strong and dedicated leadership and your exceptional commitment to the political transition – indeed, a first process of this kind in the modern history of Afghanistan. That is twice as important because it’s happening at the same time as the country’s undergoing another difficult transition, security transition. As the country is taking its fate fully in her hands, there are questions about its political transition. There are questions about commitment, Mr. President. You proved all those skeptics wrong.

Secretary Kerry, if I may say, Afghanistan is blessed that it has such a strong strategic partner as the United States, and Afghanistan is blessed to have such a committed personal friend in yourself. Whenever there is a need, you are here, and you deliver miracles, because what we witnessed today, it was not just a top-notch diplomatic achievement; it was close to a miracle. As the third point, I applaud the commitment of both presidential candidates, Dr. Abdullah Abdullah and Dr. Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai, for their commitment to the unity, prosperity, stability, and peace here in Afghanistan. They showed it strongly today in spite, again, of perhaps setbacks, disappointments, and nevertheless, as they showed today, they can walk together to the better – to a better future, hand in hand.

We as the UN, as always, will accompany Afghanistan on this way forward. Thank you for your attention.

SECRETARY KERRY MAKES REMARKS WITH AFGHAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES

FROM:  U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT 

Remarks With Afghan Presidential Candidate Ashraf Ghani Before Their Meeting

Remarks

John Kerry

Secretary of State

Kabul, Afghanistan

July 11, 2014

SECRETARY KERRY: I want to say very quickly that it’s a pleasure to meet with Dr. Ghani again. We know each other well; we’ve had many, many discussions through the years, and I’m here because President Obama and the United States of America are deeply interested in a unified, democratic, and stable Afghanistan. We obviously have high hopes that the questions about the election will be resolved quickly, can be resolved, and that a way forward can take place which can give Afghans confidence that they have a presidency and a government that is capable of unifying all Afghans and building a road to the future. So that’s why I’m here and we’re going to have a lot to talk about. Thank you.

MR. GHANI: May I take a moment? It’s a great honor and pleasure to welcome Secretary of State Kerry to Afghanistan. He’s been a friend of Afghanistan for many years. I’ve had the pleasure and honor to work with him personally on the security agreement and a range of other issues. We are delighted the Secretary is here.

Our commitment is to ensure that the election process enjoys the integrity and the legitimacy that the people of Afghanistan and the world will believe. Therefore, we believe in the most intensive and extensive audit possible to restore faith. Simultaneously, from day one when we accepted our nominations, our commitment has been to an inclusive government, a government that could represent all of Afghans and serve every Afghan citizen in the manner that every Afghan deserves according to the constitution.

We are delighted that you’re here, Mr. Secretary, and look very much forward to conversation.

SECRETARY KERRY: Likewise we do, and obviously as the doctor has said previously, no one is declaring victory at this time. The results are yet to be finalized, and so those questions have to be resolved, and I’m very appreciative that Dr. Ghani respects that fact.

MR. GHANI: Absolutely.

SECRETARY KERRY: Thank you, sir.

MR. GHANI: Thank you.

Remarks With Afghan Presidential Candidate Abdullah Abdullah Before Their Meeting

Remarks

John Kerry

Secretary of State

Kabul, Afghanistan

July 11, 2014

SECRETARY KERRY: So let me just say very quickly what a pleasure it is for me to again be able to meet with Dr. Abdullah Abdullah. We – as I said earlier, the United States has one overriding interest here, and that is the people of Afghanistan, that Afghanistan have a government that is recognized by all the people through a legitimate democratic process. And we want a unified, stable, democratic Afghanistan. It is important that whoever is president is recognized by the people as having become president through a legitimate process, and that a government be one that can unify the people and lead into the future. The results that were announced on Monday are preliminary; they are neither authoritative nor final, and no one should be stating a victory at this point in time.

So I look forward to my conversation with Dr. Abdullah, and hopefully in the course of the hours ahead we can find a way for Afghanistan to find in this election the road ahead that it needs so desperately. I now look forward to working with Dr. Abdullah to do that. Thank you for coming to visit.

MR. ABDULLAH: Thank you, Secretary. Thank you for coming and thank you for your continued support for the people of Afghanistan in many ways. And we are grateful for the assistances for the people of Afghanistan as well as the sacrifices that your people have done alongside the Afghans. And the joint achievement and the future of our achievement depend on the success of the democratic process. It’s not the (inaudible), it’s not the (inaudible).

If you are here 13 years down the road – 13 years ago the room was different in this country. Then a new process has started and we had a good transition of power, a peaceful one, and, in a way, hopeful one, because we meant to enter democratic process. But there was an opportunity (inaudible), and at a very critical time, once again yourself proved to a commitment to help Afghanistan in saving Afghanistan, in saving the democratic process here. We thank you and we welcome you, and hopefully all of us will utilize the precious time of your presence here in the best interests of our country.

SECRETARY KERRY: Thank you.

WHITE HOUSE OFFICIALS BRIEFING ABOARD AIR FORCE ONE

FROM:  THE WHITE HOUSE 

Background Briefing by a Senior Administration Official

Aboard Air Force One

En Route Joint Base Andrews

 1:35 A.M. (local)

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  So I just wanted to give you guys a background readout here.  Upon taking off, the President called President Karzai of Afghanistan because they weren’t able to see each other.  They discussed progress that’s been made by the Afghan National Security Forces.  The President referenced that he’d heard very positive readouts of the progress in his briefings with Ambassador Cunningham and General Dunford.  They discussed the success of the first round of the elections and the preparations that are being made for the second round of elections. 

The President praised the Afghan electoral institutions for the work that they’re doing, as well as the Afghan National Security Forces’ work in securing those elections.  The President also reiterated his continued support for a process of Afghan-led reconciliation that President Karzai is committed to.

With respect to the BSA, the President reiterated his interest in concluding a BSA with President Karzai’s successor and agreed to stay in touch with President Karzai as we make determinations about what potential post-2014 presence could go along with a BSA. 

Q    What did Karzai say about that -- the BSA?

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  Just that they agreed to stay in touch on it and that President Obama would be in touch before we articulate publicly any decision-making.  But I think it’s understood by both of them that [the] BSA is something that his successor would conclude; we crossed that bridge earlier in the year.  And again, I think we saw good statements from both Abdullah Abdullah and Ashraf Ghani in recent days about their interest in signing a BSA. 

Q    Do you have any more information on how much of a heads up Karzai got?  Because it seemed like from the statement you guys had with the offer for him to come to Bagram, it was basically an offer that was made so late that he would never have been able to make it anyways.

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  Well, I don’t know the exact timing of when he was notified.  That’s handled by the embassy.  I do think -- look, in the past, President Karzai has not traveled to Bagram when we’ve been there, so it’s not our expectation that he would.  He prefers to host President Obama at the palace.  Again, the nature of this visit was such that we were really keeping it focused on the troops and not looking to get into Afghan politics at this time.  So we weren’t surprised, but we did want to make sure that President Obama could speak to him given his travel to Afghanistan and the briefings he got from his senior [staff].

Q    So they spoke after we were wheels up, right?

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  Right after the plane was wheels up, yes.

Q    Do you know about how long the call lasted?

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  Yes, I think the call lasted about 15 to 20 minutes.

Q    And did he tell him -- I’m sorry, I wasn’t sure if I understood -- did the President tell President Karzai that he will let him know before he makes an announcement whether it’s at West Point or whatever about the plans for residual troop numbers?

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  Yes, he would, as a matter of course, consult with President Karzai before publicly articulating an announcement like that.

Q    And was this call that articulation?  Or there will be another --

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  This call was about having been in Afghanistan and wanting to touch base with him.  And actually, the only other thing I left out is they also talked about the recent attack on the Indian Consulate in Afghanistan and the context of President Karzai also traveling to India tomorrow for Prime Minister-designate Modi’s inauguration.

Q    When exactly did the President invite Karzai to Bagram?

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  I think the embassy extended that invitation sometime before our arrival.  I don’t know the exact time.

Q    When Obama had his briefing with Dunford and others, what was the conversation like about the post-2014 plan?  I mean, are they still in the stage where he’s actually getting guidance and advice?  Or was it more him telling the Commander and others what he’s thinking about announcing?

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  I mean, it’s both.  He’s been getting their advice over the last few weeks.  He was able to share some of his thinking.  I think they really wanted to, given the context of how they see things on the ground.  I think the principal message that we heard from General Dunford and Ambassador Cunningham is that there are a number of factors converging here that do make it an opportune moment for the United States to articulate its commitment -- that the Afghan National Security Forces have performed, in some respects better than we anticipated; they have moved into the lead for combat; the elections have created a sense of optimism in Afghanistan. 

So there’s an environment in which there are some good strains that are converging that make a potential U.S. articulation of our commitment to Afghanistan worthwhile; also, the commitments from the two leading candidates.  So I think their message was that different parts of this puzzle are coming together in Afghanistan in this year of transition and that there is a continued investment that the United States can make that can help the new administration in Afghanistan when it does take power to have a stable beginning.

They also reviewed the ongoing security challenges that we face in Afghanistan -- how we are going about the training mission; how we are helping the Afghan National Security Forces not just build their combat force, but also be able to sustain some of the functions of a national army.  So I think they covered in some detail the state of the Afghan National Security Forces and then discussed the challenges of securing the second round of the elections.  The Afghans will be in the lead for that as well.  We’re simply providing advice and counsel on that.

Q    So the progress that they’re making, does that suggest that a smaller force would be fine, like of 5,000?

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  Well, it suggests how do we focus on supporting those functions of the Afghan National Security Forces that are going to be necessary for sustainability so that not only can they serve as a combat force in the field, but how are they building out the structures and institutions of a national army, and also how we’re going to coordinate with our allies, some of whom have also indicated a commitment to a post-2014 Afghanistan.

Q    But is it fair to say that short of whoever wins the election, not signing the BSA, that the zero option is off the table at this point?

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: If there’s not a BSA, we will not keep troops in Afghanistan.

Q    Right.  But if the BSA is signed, you guys will move forward with --

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  Well, yes, I think the President has indicated that, and you saw in his comments today that it’s our expectation that if there is a BSA we’d look at how -- what force structure could fulfill those missions.  And that’s what he’ll have a chance to speak to in the coming days.

Q    Ten thousand has been the high number that we’ve been using.  Is there -- we shouldn’t use that number anymore when we talk about the range?

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  I’m not going to get into numbers.

Q    Has the President called, or is he planning on calling on this flight either anyone in the leadership of Ukraine or in Russia?  And can you talk about that?

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  We don’t have any current calls scheduled, but I would expect that he will call at the first opportunity the newly elected President.  I think, obviously, we want to monitor how they are certifying those results.  What I will say is that the President was commenting about how well the election went from his perspective.  Clearly, the Ukrainians turned out in significant numbers.  Clearly, the message they were sending was one of national unity and a commitment to democracy.  Even in some of the more difficult provinces you saw people working to vote. 

I think the statements you saw after the election from leaders like Poroshenko, they underscore national unity and send very positive signals about the future of Ukraine, not just its relations with its neighbors, but in reaching out to the east.  So again, I think the overarching message from the election was extraordinarily positive when you look at the difficulties of the last several weeks -- for Ukraine it’s a turnout of those numbers and to have such a clear result.  And in support of policies of national unity, inclusion, economic stabilization, I think sets a very good groundwork for our relationship with Ukraine going forward.

Q    -- was that Poroshenko got more than the 50 percent-plus one, so there’s no run-off and they kind of move ahead, instead of being in limbo for another month or so.

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  Well, again, that’s up to the Ukrainians.  I do think, though, that the sense of stability in getting to work that comes from a clear election result could be extraordinarily positive.  It provides some assurance and legitimacy at a time where Ukraine has been dealing with significant challenges.  And again, what we’ve always said is this election will settle the legitimacy question.  There were questions raised by Russia and others after the Yanukovych government collapsed and he fled town.  Now the people of Ukraine have spoken, and I don’t think there can be any questioning the legitimacy of a result that reflects such a broad cross-section of the Ukrainian public.

So I think we made clear that the United States, our European allies will be there for this new government to help them deal with some very difficult challenges -- stabilizing the economy and trying to calm this conflict.  And we hope that Russia will choose to play a constructive role in respecting this result.

Q    No calls to Putin expected?

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  None expected.

Q    Is there anything -- any color from behind the scenes that we couldn’t see, either in the hospital visit or in his interactions with troops that you want to talk about?

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  Like I said, the only thing I’d say is that he -- or a couple of things.  He was able to tour kind of the -- some of the operation centers.  And in each place that he went he made a point of going around to each desk and shaking everybody’s hand and thanking them.  As he mentioned in his remarks, in the operation center he saw a poster of the Twin Towers, which clearly resonated with him, and he referred to the fact that, in his private remarks to the troops in those operation centers, that it reminded him of why we’re here. 

When he finished those briefings and walked towards the hangar, he went through the Hall of Honor that they have there, where they have photos of the fallen from Afghanistan.  So he was able to look at photos of many troops who had been lost in Afghanistan and thought that was obviously particularly profound on Memorial Day weekend to see those photos, even as he was then able to go and spend some time with the troops as well.

So I think he was, as always, moved by the visit and inspired by what these troops are doing every single day on behalf of the United States.

Q    How many soldiers was he able to meet with at the hospital?

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  I don’t know.  I’ll check that for you.  The other thing he did -- he was able to give out some awards.  Did we get you the background on that?

Q    No.

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  I’ll get that for you.  A number of Purple Hearts and other awards.  So we’ll get that for you.

Q    Were there new awards done tonight that was part of this?  We don’t have that.

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  Yes, he -- well get you what he gave out there, yes.

Thanks, guys.

END          

1:48 A.M. (local)