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| Afghan president flies to Washington for tough talks on military future | Afghan president flies to Washington for tough talks on military future |
| (about 1 month later) | |
| The Afghan president is on his way to Washington for what is likely to be a tense visit, with the two uneasy allies set to discuss details of a long-term US military presence in the central Asian nation. | The Afghan president is on his way to Washington for what is likely to be a tense visit, with the two uneasy allies set to discuss details of a long-term US military presence in the central Asian nation. |
| Hamid Karzai, who will meet Barack Obama, wants Washington to stump up for planes, helicopters, heavy weapons and other advanced military equipment for Afghanistan's still-shaky armed forces. He also wants more aid money to be channelled through ministries rather than spent by western aid agencies. | Hamid Karzai, who will meet Barack Obama, wants Washington to stump up for planes, helicopters, heavy weapons and other advanced military equipment for Afghanistan's still-shaky armed forces. He also wants more aid money to be channelled through ministries rather than spent by western aid agencies. |
| The US president is weighing up how many of its troops should remain in Afghanistan when the Nato-led combat mission there ends in 2014. But any plan needs Afghan approval, and hanging over the discussions is the question of immunity for US soldiers. | The US president is weighing up how many of its troops should remain in Afghanistan when the Nato-led combat mission there ends in 2014. But any plan needs Afghan approval, and hanging over the discussions is the question of immunity for US soldiers. |
| Iraq's refusal to agree to this condition in effect ended the US presence there, and there are fears it could be a major obstacle to a long-term US presence in Afghanistan. Karzai, who has criticised Nato and US measures he believes violate national security, admitted this could be a stumbling block in talks. | Iraq's refusal to agree to this condition in effect ended the US presence there, and there are fears it could be a major obstacle to a long-term US presence in Afghanistan. Karzai, who has criticised Nato and US measures he believes violate national security, admitted this could be a stumbling block in talks. |
| Karzai may be banking in part on western fears that if cash and other support for the government and security forces are cut, and Afghanistan slips back into civil war or the Taliban gain ground, it could once again become a haven for al-Qaida or similar groups. | Karzai may be banking in part on western fears that if cash and other support for the government and security forces are cut, and Afghanistan slips back into civil war or the Taliban gain ground, it could once again become a haven for al-Qaida or similar groups. |
| "The world needs us more than we need them," Abdul Karim Khurram, Karzai's chief of staff, told the Washington Post shortly before the visit. | "The world needs us more than we need them," Abdul Karim Khurram, Karzai's chief of staff, told the Washington Post shortly before the visit. |
| But diplomats in Kabul warn that Karzai may have underestimated US fatigue with the war, and anger over its cost, at a time when the national economy is struggling. Rampant, large-scale corruption in Afghanistan also makes it harder to justify aid spending to voters tightening their belts at home. | But diplomats in Kabul warn that Karzai may have underestimated US fatigue with the war, and anger over its cost, at a time when the national economy is struggling. Rampant, large-scale corruption in Afghanistan also makes it harder to justify aid spending to voters tightening their belts at home. |
| Karzai's government in turn has accused the west of fuelling corruption and waste in the way it spends money in Afghanistan. The finance minister, Omar Zakhilwal, is pushing for more money to be put straight through the government budget to be spent by ministries like education and health, rather than channelled through foreign aid organisations. | Karzai's government in turn has accused the west of fuelling corruption and waste in the way it spends money in Afghanistan. The finance minister, Omar Zakhilwal, is pushing for more money to be put straight through the government budget to be spent by ministries like education and health, rather than channelled through foreign aid organisations. |
| "We believe that the way the US money is spent here, there's a lot of waste, particularly money spent through contractors and outside sources," Zakhilwal told the Wall Street Journal before the visit. Much of the aid cash flowed back to the US through "big consultant salaries and overheads", he added. | "We believe that the way the US money is spent here, there's a lot of waste, particularly money spent through contractors and outside sources," Zakhilwal told the Wall Street Journal before the visit. Much of the aid cash flowed back to the US through "big consultant salaries and overheads", he added. |
| Karzai has other grievances which are likely to add to challenges at the talks. Among the complaints are that the US military is still holding Afghan prisoners in Afghanistan, despite a deal last year to hand over the US jail and the men inside it. | Karzai has other grievances which are likely to add to challenges at the talks. Among the complaints are that the US military is still holding Afghan prisoners in Afghanistan, despite a deal last year to hand over the US jail and the men inside it. |
| "The war has been fought in a very incorrect manner ... It didn't improve the situation, it worsened it," Khurram said. | "The war has been fought in a very incorrect manner ... It didn't improve the situation, it worsened it," Khurram said. |
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