Bonn, December 5
The United States and other nations vowed today to keep supporting Afghanistan after most foreign forces leave the country in 2014, as the nation faces an enduring Taliban-led insurgency and possible financial collapse.

Afghan delegates at the conference in Bonn, Germany, on Monday. — AP/PTI

“The United States is prepared to stand with the Afghan people for the long haul,” US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton told a global conference on Afghanistan’s future that was overshadowed by the absence of key regional player Pakistan.

The international community has “much to lose if the country again becomes a source of terrorism and instability,” she added.

Clinton stressed that in return for continued support the Afghans must live up to their commitments “on taking difficult decisions to embrace reform, lead in their own defense and strengthen an inclusive democracy rooted in the rule of law.” About 100 countries and international organisations were represented among the 1,000 conference delegates, including some 60 foreign ministers.

“Together we have spent blood and treasure in fighting terrorism,” Afghan President Hamid Karzai said.

“Your continued solidarity, your commitment and support will be crucial so that we can consolidate our gains and continue to address the challenges that remain. We will need your steadfast support for at least another decade.” Afghanistan is economically dependent on foreign aid and spending related to the huge military presence, currently totaling about 130,000 international troops. The country seeks assurance that donor nations will help fill the gap after most forces leave by 2015.

Although donor nations will not commit to specific figures at the one-day session today, they will sign up to the principle that economic and other advances in Afghanistan since the ouster of the Taliban government in 2001 should be safeguarded with continued funding.

Afghanistan estimates it will need outside contributions of roughly USD 10 billion in 2015, or slightly less than half the country’s annual gross national product, mostly to pay for its security forces, then slated to number about 350,000.

The conference’s final declaration outlines a series of mutual commitments for the decade following the troop withdrawal, strongly conveying that Afghanistan “will not be left alone,” a German diplomat said. — AP