US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, left, walks with President of Afghanistan Hamid Karzai to a press conference at the Presidential Palace in Kabul Saturday July 7, 2012.
KABUL, Afghanistan -- U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is in Kabul on a previously unannounced visit on her way to an international donor conference for Afghanistan. The Obama administration has made Afghanistan a preferred military partner eligible for quicker financing for U.S. weapons.
Secretary Clinton＇s surprise stop in Kabul follows Wednesday＇s formal start of the long-negotiated Strategic Partnership Agreement between the two countries.
With that agreement, the Obama administration Saturday named Afghanistan a Major Non-NATO Ally -- a designation that makes it easier for countries to acquire and finance U.S. weapons systems.
While many of those purchases are already expedited through the international security force here, senior State Department officials say the designation shows the importance the United States places on Afghan security following the scheduled departure of foreign troops in 2014.
Afghanistan is the first nation to receive that status since Pakistan in 2004 and joins other Major Non-NATO Allies such as Israel, Egypt, Jordan, and Japan.
After speaking with staff at the U.S. embassy, Secretary Clinton met with President Hamid Karzai at the presidential palace for talks that included expectations for Sunday＇s Afghan donor conference in Japan.
U.S. officials say Washington intends to maintain civilian economic assistance at current levels of between $1 billion and $2 billion a year beyond 2014, with the expectation that Afghans follow through on improvements in accountability, good governance, and rule of law.
On the sidelines of Sunday＇s donor conference in Tokyo, Secretary Clinton will meet jointly with the foreign ministers of Afghanistan and Pakistan to discuss cross-border cooperation and security. |
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