Karzai: U.S. must have patience if Afghanistan not ready for them to leave by 2011 (only a "goal")

[Bluebear]

(CNN) -- Afghan President Hamid Karzai said Sunday the United States and its allies must have patience if his country is not ready to assume control of its own security by July 2011, when U.S. troops would begin leaving under President Obama's plan.

Karzai spoke to CNN's "Amanpour" program, in what was believed to be his first Western television interview since Obama's announcement last week that he will deploy an additional 30,000 U.S. troops to Afghanistan. Obama also said the U.S. forces would begin withdrawing from Afghanistan in July 2011.

The date was not "an exit announcement," but instead a goal for Afghan forces to be able to start assuming security control from U.S.-led allied forces, Karzai said in the interview.

"We will try our best as the Afghan people to do it the soonest possible," Karzai said. "But the international community must have also the patience with us and the realization of the realities in Afghanistan. If it takes longer, then they must be with us."

http://edition.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/asiapcf/12/06/us.afghanistan.karzai/

[anonymous171]

1. We are going to be there forever aren't we? nt

[Bluebear]

2. :nodding:

[Nikki Stone1]

4. Look where it is and look at the nations around it and where we are headed.

http://www.worldatlas.com/webimage/countrys/as.htm

[Nikki Stone1]

7. Other map"

[Bjorn Against]

16. No, just until our country goes bankrupt and our empire falls

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

3. A case of the puppet pulling the puppeteer's strings, and vice versa. K&R

aka - a circle jerk.

[Bluebear]

5. Karzai, translating for the American people, what their President said.

Wonderful.

[Jamastiene]

6. I cannot wait until the day comes that Karzai is not dictating to America

what we "must" and "must not" do. :eyes:

[EFerrari]

13. He's not dictating, he's reading a State Department fax. n/t

[Bluebear]

17. +1

[Name removed]

8. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[spanone]

9. i got your fucking patience right here, hamid

[Turbineguy]

10. In a conversation I had

a number of years ago with my son I suggested that he could do High School in 3 years or 2 years if he worked really hard but not in 3 months.

Karzai needs to get to work yesterday. He's had 5 years so far but the part under Bush doesn't count as anything productive.

[Monk06]

11. Karzai and his drug dealing brother need US troops to protect their opium business.

[EFerrari]

12. It isn't often we get to hear puppets speak with such eloquence. n/t

[eleny]

14. This interview aired today on Amanpour's program was an eye opener

I was cleaning house so mostly listening. But I became riveted to the screen when I heard Karzais voice start to crack and he became strident.

She talked about us starting to withdraw after 18 months. And also quoted Gibbs saying that if Karzai didn't get rid of the corruption, we would identify who was corrupt and get remove them ourselves. Karzai tried to keep it together but it was obvious that he was struggling.

Afterward, Simon Schama joined Amanpour to discuss the interview. He said that it was obvious that the administration hadn't discussed some of this with Karzai at all. Even Schama lost his cool getting pretty agitated.

Today's morning television was like going to class. It was a day to take notes. When Gates said that in 18 months we would begin to look at removing a small number of troops I was gobsmacked that he admitted it.

K&R

[bridgit]

15. Up whose ass is Karzai's head trying to blow smoke & mirrors?