karzai wasn't even there. it was clear all the afghans there were unfamiliar with and uncomfortable with the concept of federalism. i do think the professor is right that if there are serious negotiations that begin with the insurgents with the taliban and others, it will lead to demands for some degree of decentralization and on balance that might not be a bad thing. >> lehrer: do you have any reason, professor sharani, just to go to the bottom line here, to be optimistic about whether all of this ... not only the civil discussion and the aid discussions and all of that, corruption, but also what's happening militarily on the ground, is going to lead to a stability that will eventually result in a stable afghanistan? is this thing on a path toward hope in your opinion? >> i think unless and until we have a truly honest government in afghanistan as partner for our military efforts and economic and political efforts, we will not be able to succeed in this. i think our military leaders have the best knowledge ab

amid karzai installed leaders into key positions. and he is now powerless to stop them using their offices for illegal purposes. >> the black market is closely tied. that means drug production and smuggling. president karzai needs support of these rulers, so he is unable to control their activities. >> while the international community pressures karzai to take action against the opium industry, complex relationships bar progress. >> that was evident last year during the election process. there was systematic fraud, but the international community remained silent. >> afghan's drug trade further complicates security fces. >> one alternative to opium farming is the production of rose oil. the german aid organization has run a successful program in jalalabad for 7 years, and some farmers have shifted from poppies to roses. it is a lucrative business compared with many other crops. >> smell the ros. the scent wafts through this office in bonn, where the german aid organization manages their campaign to replace opium with rose oil. 6 years

pakistan afghanistan relationship but where does that leave mr karzai and his agenda for afghanistan and the american one. i think first of all to go back to our tolls point you this is a missile alliance between the u.s. and pakistan countries really don't have friendships they have relationships and they have interests and their relationships are based on interests so we shouldn't really see this as a permanent relationship there will always be differences and the baggage of history of the u.s. pakistan rollercoaster relationship really impinges on current decisions and perceptions inside pakistan as far as afghanistan is concerned in my view pakistan could certainly live with karzai provided it sees a stable of an entity in which the bathrooms have a much greater say that's the kind of government that they could live with because they're supposed to and that are most contiguous to the area that's pakistan on the border and if the are unhappy that the northern alliance or other groups that are traditionally closer to india have greater say then pakistan will be unhappy some of the

government has been cautious about commenting on the avalanche of material on line, but president karzai was shocked by the names of informants that were left in. >> i wonder if you think it was irresponsible that afghan names of informants were put into these documents without being blacked out. >> this is extremely irresponsible and shocking. whether those individuals acted legitimately or illegitimately in providing information to those forces, their lives will be in danger. therefore, we consider that extremely irresponsible. it is an act that one cannot overlook. >> the afghan president also said that the u.s. should take more direct action against taliban bases in pakistan. drawn attacks against individual of qaeda leaders have been carried out for years, but in taking a hardline president karzai asked why u.s. forces were not attacking more well- known such worries of the taliban in pakistan. u.s. troops are facing their worst summer for casualties since the war began. they hardly need reminding of the continuing threat they face in afghanistan. the latest debt was a petty officer

that pakistan wants to have an afghanistan that is friendly to islamabad but can that include mr karzai because that's that's the u.s. man in afghanistan i mean is that really where we have the differences can we find mutual accommodation between the two because we've heard just recently over the last week or so a pakistan and pakistan afghanistan relationship but where does that leave mr karzai and his agenda for afghanistan and the american one. i think first of all to go back to our tolls point you this is a missile alliance between the u.s. and pakistan countries really don't have friendships they have relationships and they have interests and their relationships are based on interests so we shouldn't really see this is a permanent relationship there will always be differences and the baggage of history of the u.s. pakistan rollercoaster relationship really impinges on current decisions and perceptions inside pakistan as far as afghanistan is concerned in my view pakistan could certainly live with karzai provided it sees a stable of law an entity in which the bathrooms have a much g

secretary of state and hamid karzai. the announcements made are important, this is about style and substance, showing that they can support president karzai and bring their troops home. past promises have been broken so i asked the president about what the differences would be. >> the differences are that we can shed the capacity of the army. -- we can show the capacity of the army. the ability and good of our soldiers. >> any pullout depends on demand coming into land. with four stars on his hat, david petraeus is a new commander. he has the daunting task of getting the force is ready. the news has come that another soldier has turned his guns on his trainers. this raises fear that the taliban may be infiltrating. bringing british troops home depends on stopping the taliban. this was the scene for u.k. forces last summer, this year the fighting is just as hard. the casualties are also graves. -- are also just as grave. >> the afghan president, hamid karzai, says that he would like the forces to charge up security by it

he has melt with hamid karzai several times -- met with hamid karzai several times. he wants the local neighborhoods to defend themselves. karzai said he didn't like the idea unless the government can have some control over that. they worked out some way to do that. that means you're going to have a lot more special operations forces, more americans going out into the villages, being more vulnerable and having more casualties, to try to reach out to the elders and the villagers to defend themselves against the taliban. afghanistan is so vast. you can't really have a central government over all these areas and know what is going on. that's part of the plan, to have the different tribes -- this is very complicated, very different from iraq when it was the sunnis and so on -- this isn't "west side story." you've got a whole lot of afghan tribes. >> is there a time table in year -- we're a year away from july 11, 2011. >> from when we're leaving? i think there is so much skepticism will -- about that. you have heard it from president obama in the last weeks. "we're not c

in the middle of this scrum, president hamid karzai and hillary clinton. one of the announcements, this is as much about style and substance. showing the world that support president karzai and have a plan to bring the troops home. i asked him what makes this time a different. >> the difference is this time the conference is in kabul. the maturity we have achieved and the abilities to convince the rest of the world. >> any pullout depends on the man coming into land. with four stars across his hat, general petraeus is the new commander. with the new challenge, getting these forces ready. news that another afghan soldier turned his gun on his trainers. to americans died, raising fears that the taliban maybe infill trading. bringing british troops home depends on stopping the taliban. this was the scene for forces last summer. this year, the fighting is just as hard, the casualties are also great. the time line may prove to be unrealistic. two french international footballers have been put under formal criminal investigation under accusations that they paid

conference that took place this time in kabul has been yet another smashing success for president karzai charming offensive the. international community mr karzai has proved that his skills to bamboozle and to hypnotize the international participants and observers of the occupation in afghanistan he's totally unprecedented however this conference has also smashed to pieces the high expectations of afghan people i wouldn't be surprised if after this conference the general mood across the whole afghan population will intensify anti-american feelings and might in the mid-term provoke anti-american backlash reach could or could not result into yet another revolution in afghanistan that could open up opportunities for the afghan people to take finally their responsibility for their country into their own hands. she's military analysts to get it herself with even alice was there yes secretary of state hillary clinton and the fan secretary robert gates are in south korea in a show of support for so it comes days before a joint military exercise aimed a deterring potential attacks from pyongyang

afghan president hamid karzai says he's ready to fire the taliban with less help from. nato forces at an international conference in kabul seventeen nations agree that power in the country will be handed back to afghans by two thousand and fourteen president karzai also secured more international funding for his government argues military analyst of yanni herself however says the deadline to hand over power may be too far away for a man he afghans the international conference that took place this time in kabul has been yet another smashing success for president karzai charming offensive of the international community mr karzai his proved that his skills to bumbles will and to hypnotize the international participants and observers of the occupation in afghanistan he's totally unprecedented however this conference has also smashed to pieces the high expectations of people i wouldn't be surprised if after this conference the general mood across the whole population will intensify american feelings and might in the mid-term provoke. american backwash reach could or could no

president karzai and president zardari both have a shared vision for the region.hey want the region essentially not to be a region of war. not to be a crossroads of conflict. they want it to be a crossroads of opportunity. only a few days ago, pakistan and afghanistan concluded negotiations on a transit trade agreement which hasn't been concluded for 45 years. we both have baggage of history, and we understand that. but our presidents understand also that we have to go past that history to build a future for our people. there are too many illiterate children in afghanistan and pakistan, too many people wogo hungry, too many people that do not have jobs that we need to pay attention to and that's where our energy should be focused. it doesn't mean we don't disagree, it doesn't mean we don't need help from the united states, but we are working issues from the past some of which is reflected in the kinds of reports that we see in this little sideshow called wikileaks. >> charlie: was there a connection between i.s.i. and the taliban? >> charlie -- >> charlie: before

karzai fired members of his government who were considered anti-pakistani. there are active negotiations going on towarded sort of reconciliation that the women in aaron baker's piece are dreading. but that's in progress now. it's happening. >> rose: all right,arian baker, who wrote this story here today, but are we looking at a new reappraisal of what are we doing in afghanistan? >> well, certainly, as you know, charlie, the president is actually doing a reappraiseal and an evaluation in december at the end of the year, but i think what's happening in the body politic and among americans are people are feeling a certain amount of exhaustion. they're feeling a certain amount of ignorance about what the mission is. there is-- there is mission fatigue, and the release of the wikeleak documentses that crystallized that. it has confirmed a lot of the things that we believed already, but suddenly people are seeing the primary sources and they're being confront with it in a way they hadn't before. and part of the reason i wanted to view this cover and confront peo

general karzai? >> the evidence shuggets it has gotten a lot more -- suggests it has gotten a lot more corrupt over the past few years. the guys who do the annual governmental corruption survey, their data is based on some pretty detailed field research. in my experience, most of the afghans i talk to will tell you that the main problem, the main driver of instability is actually government bad behavior and corruption. a lot of that, of course, also comes from the aid programs that we sponsor on international systems. it isn't just president karzai but i think one of the reasons we haven't been as firm with him as one might like, is it is hard to see an alternative. who is the guy who would step in if president karzai wasn't in charge? >> alternative or not, if part of the problem is -- not just a part oifert, to your point, i'm paraphrasing. if a major part of it is the corrupt nature of the government, then how do we ever win, what do we define as victory if what you're talking about ain't got noth

set forth in his speech. >> reporter: afghan president hamid karzai said his government was ready to take more control of the war against insurgents and also the billions of dollars of foreign aid flowing in to afghanistan. but with greater control comes greater responsibility. afghanistan is one of the most corrupt countries in the world and delegates from more than 60 different countries are demanding the afghan government cleans up its act. the secretary of state was delivering a delicately balanced message. on one hand promising the u.s. has a long term commitment to the afghan cause. on the other, reminding everyone that president obama would like to see u.s. troop numbers here start to fall in a year's time. >> the july 2011 date captures both our sense of urgency and the strength of our resolve. >> reporter: the afghan people will be listening carefully and drawing their own conclusions about the strength of america's resolve. the international gathering will certainly be a boost for the afghan government's standing in the world, but the delegates will really want to see real

the karzai government has yet to deliver services, to deliver allegiances locally. et to deliver services to win local allegiances. and recent reports suggest that afghanistan is minorities are concerned about president karzai is overtures to taliban leaders through pakistani intermediaries. at our hearing two weeks ago, general petreaus emphasized that "a counterinsurgency operation is a roller-coaster experience, "but in his view, the trajectory has been generally upward, despite the tough losses. i have long believed that the number one mission in afghanistan is building the capacity of the afghan security forces to be able to take increasing responsibility for their country's security. general petreaus said that increasing the size and capacity of the afghan security forces is central to achieving progress in afghanistan. u.s. and isaf forces need to focus their resources and energy on this effort. there is a significant shortfall of trainers and of mentors. building capacity of the afghan security forces to provide security is not simply what we seek. it is wha

hamid karzai will be asking for greater control of his budget in return for taking on more responsibility. hillary clinton has been talking to you the bbc. -- talking to the bbc. >> kabul prepares with a historic conference. never has a city hosted so many foreign leaders. its development match the promises. , this country would be paradise. the situation is barely improving. the report says the counterinsurgency strategy is in trouble. attacks are up 51% in june compared to last year. attacks against international organizations are increasing. the number of civilians killed is rising. this sunday, there was another attack against a market. the conference will call for continued aid for afghanistan to support its government as it takes charge. this should pave the way for foreign troops to withdraw. the u.k. has pledged more a but it has made clear it wants its soldiers out sooner rather than later. hillary clinton insisted this was a fight worth waging. she told for patience. >> there are significant indicators of progress free they are not fast enough -- there are significant indicators

president karzai has committed to conducting this effort. we will obviously focus on this intently if confirmed. host: anything more to say guest: obviously this is well overdue. i think it is great they have established the010 task force. the department has been aware, they do a lot of reports, and know this has been going on. host: california on the republican line. caller: in reference to afghanistan, afghan, i rraq, compared to great britain it is a far cry from giving foreign entities access to my bank account. guest: i do not think i understand. host: this is a different question. that is the use of contracted soldiers. this viewer asks, please ask him what forces are contractors verses u.s. soldiers or is that information classified? guest: the information is not classified, unfortunately it is not certain. the best testimony was that there was 88,000 troops currently in afghanistan. some 110,000 contractors. similarly, there are fer troops than there are contractors there. this is one issue we have been trying to get the department o

can he therefore tell us how credible karzai's commitment is to a reform strategy, how robust the plans are, and how reliable the oversight and review mechanisms to which he referred will be? will they ensure that the process of reintegration will not involve simply creating a new matrix of corruption? >> that was four questions, but one answer will suffice. >> yes, mr. speaker. i realize that we must proceed with greater speed. i hope that i have given some answer to all four of those questions earlier in my responses. we are talking about an area where not enough has been achieved; we stressed that strongly at the conference. i mentioned earlier several of the specific mechanisms being introduced to tackle corruption. the honorable gentleman is quite right that a large army, without a system of administration that is relatively free from corruption, would not be a safe thing to have. i hope that i answered some of his questions earlier. >> julian brazier. >> although i welcome my right honorable friend's comments on the growth of the afghan national forces, and on local reconciliation

i am disgusted with president karzai. the trust between the afghan national army and the british army and other nato units is working well. this is a rogue element in the afghan national army. this is not typical of what the afghan national army is doing. >> with some of these afghan troops setting off on patrol without british support earlier this year. independent operations, even on the scale, are rare. instead, the emphasis is doing things alongside -- the emphasis is on doing things alongside nato units. a spokesman rejected that this creates dependence. >> the reality is this is training them to stand on their own feet. giving them more autonomy now would not do the job because they are not ready. as they learn from us, they will increasingly be ready to stand on their whole -- on their own feet. that is the whole point of partnering. >> a comment from the u.s. senior official suggests the afghan army men as is poor. he estimated only 3% of soldiers and 12% of police can operate unsupervised. he added the 17% of the

afghan president, hamid karzai, has viewed the that his hope t security forces will be able to take control of security in the country in five years. but he never used the date 2014. that is now the date that he hopes that his police, his army, can take control of all 34 provinces across the country. that is a very ambitious goal. afghans here widely think of the police as corrupt. and the army here is not ready or large enough to really take control of security. but nonetheless, the u.s. is definitely hoping that the afghans can hit that date. u.s. troops, obviously, would begin to be coming home and take a more training role when that day hits. >> nick, there has been discussion about who is to blame for the fragile security situation in that country. >> reporter: yeah. the afghan government has long wanted the u.s. and international community to admit that some of its decisions here, some of its -- the way that it's spent some of its money, has not been very effective, in terms of reducing the violence here. and hillary clinton has something interesting about that to say. let's take a li

but in taking a far tougher line than he had recently, president karzai asked why u.s. forces were not attacking more well- known sanctuaries in pakistan. u.s. troops who are facing their worst summer for casualties since the war began hardly need reminding of the continuing threat they face in afghanistan. the latest death was a petty officer jarod newlove, a second body of two soldiers found missing since friday. biting this complex war, the troops would rather keep their intelligence sources secret and not published on the internet. this enormous leak of documents is an unwelcome distraction for a government-run to put into place in deprogram agreed to at the conference last week. but they are a reminder of the sheer scale at the u.s. intelligence efforts in afghanistan. >> the american defense secretary has called in the fbi to identify who leaked to the classified documents. robert gates describes the leaks as potentially dangerous for u.s. troops, their allies and partners in afghanistan. >> the battlefield consequences of the release of these documents are potent

top stories this hour naughty afghan president hamid karzai says he's determined his country will take responsibility for its own security by twenty eight fourteen representatives from seventeen nations and organizations have been meeting in kabul to discuss how to bring about stability and the transfer of power. aids activist to universal treatment and more funding at an international conference in vienna. could undermine recent progress in research some scientists also gathering in the austrian capital a challenging conventional views on the causes and effects of the disease. and police in southern russia are looking for a. sense of terrified don't keep saying over the sea the whole thing is a p.r. stunt now facing animal cruelty charges and if convicted could be jailed for up to two years. as our top stories more from me and less than fifteen minutes from now in the meantime it's sports updates with dmitri. you know they're welcome to the sport of it here not it things for joining us this hour let's take a quick look at the headlines. staying across the ocean for seventeen years he

how will the united states hold the karzai government accountable to these commitments? what will the consequences be if the afghan government doesno meet these goals? during our hearing with the inspectors general and gao, one witness testified our pn is at all levels should consider capacity development at the forefront of an engagement by the united states. as afghans take the lead in managing their government, it is vital that they are trained in technical skills but also professional and ethical standards by which they are expected to adhere. congress has provided hundreds of millions of dollars to increase the capacity of the afghan government and people. what has been achieved with this funding? has the standard of the government's performance improved? are finite goals and objectives in place and outcomes being evaluated to measure their success? last week, treasury representatives shared with us some positive steps to strengthen fiscal management within the ministry of finance. this progress has taken years because of the great challenges including lack of capac

. >> reporter: the conference is a big test for hamid karzai to prove he is taking more control. clinton told us she is wary of karzai's efforts to reconcile with the taliban. >> there are a lot of members of the taliban who will not renounce al qaeda. they have a very close working relationship with al qaeda. they will not agree to give up violence and integrate into the society. >> reporter: all of this after clinton spent two days in neighboring pakistan urging its government to go after the taliban and al qaeda. she also expressed frustration at widespread resentment by pakistanis against america even as she brought $500 million in new aid. >> the idea to, say, an unemployed autoworker or a laid off secretary somewhere in the united states that the aid we provide to a country may not be appreciated raises the question in their minds, why are you sending money to a country that doesn't want it? >> reporter: and tonight's blast only underscores how hard it's going to be for tomorrow's summit conference here to prove that the war strategy is working. brian? >> andrea mitchell in

discuss how to bring about stability and security over to the local forces afghan president hamid karzai said he's determined the country will be ready for the transfer of power in four years. aids activists demand universal treatment of an international conference in vienna on the u.n. spending cuts could undermine recent progress some scientists also meeting in the austrian capital but challenging conventional views on the causes of the disease as well as the link between aids and hiv. children woman claims she's one hundred thirty which would make her the oldest person alive but she's struggling to prove it. she was born in one thousand nine hundred and she. needed to help confirm her ripe old age. with more developments more news in less than half an hour from now in fact i should say fifteen minutes from now let me tell you about the sports sports news next with. hello there and thanks for watching the sport here on r.t. and this is what is coming up spot on cheers gar go second in the russian premier league after one knew where in the basement side career. while league leaders any

president karzai told the conference that he wants afghan forces to take control of total security for the country by the end of 2013. >> he is the president of a nation at war, buddy has been accused of presiding over incompetency and corruption. now, he is quoted as the man who can turn things around. today, more than 70 nations came to kabul to give him that backing. in return, he promised to take control of security in just four years, repeating a pledge that his troops will take over for foreign forces in 2014. welcome news for many. >> if the aim of the whole international community here is for the afghan national security forces to be able to take over their own security by 2014, and what he said and the prime minister said and i said is that within five years, by 2015, british combat troops will not be involved in combat operations in afghanistan. >> america and britain want the president to do more to stamp out corruption, but the big theme is putting afghans in charge. >> in the middle of this scrum, president, and also the u.s. secretary of state, hillary clinton, on one of

. >> the afghan president hamid karzai is used to hosting summits designed to help his country achieve a more prosperous and secure future. tomorrow, tuesday, he'll be asking for greater control of his multibillion-dollar aid budget and in return is promising to take on more responsibility for security. the u.s. secretary of state hillary clinton has been talking to the bbc ahead of the summit. >> afghanistan leadership is in the spotlight as kabul prepares for the historic international conference. never has this city hosted so many foreign policy leaders. but if developments on the ground match the promises made at each of the conferences for afghanistan, this country would be paradise by now. the situation however is barely improving. a report by the afghanistan and geosecurity office is sobering. it says nato's counterinsurgency vatty is in trouble. attacks in june are up 5 1 pairs compared to last year. attacks against international organizations are increasing and the number of civilians killed is also rising. just this sunday, there was another attack against a market. but a con

and we heard them again when president karzai came to washington for a state visit in may. there seems to be little accountability when he fails to keep his word as he never comes away from any of these gath, with more than a slap on the -- gatherings with more than a slap on the wrist if that. if mr. karzai is series on cracking down, why -- serious on cracking down, why doesn't he start by reining in his own brother? a strong man who rules kandahar. and what does were the karzai have to say about the fact that billions of dollars of cash have been flown out of their airport in the last few years? lip service and vague promises are really not enough, madam speaker. what is sustaining the taliban more than anything else is that the afghanistan government is failing to have any competency or legitimacy. no one is more frustrated than the afghan people. who voice their displeasure with a government -- with government corruption in a recent survey conducted by an afghan watchdog group. bribery shakedowns are increasingly seen as a way of life. the cost of securing basic servic

president karzai presented a draft afghan peace and reintegration program to nato for consideration. the issues of reconciliation and reintegration are now in broad discussion. the committee would welcome remarks on the status of the draft program and its elements, as well as the position of our government toward its. who is participating and leading the coordination of such discussions with the afghan government and groups seeking reconciliation? i am hopeful that the administration will not wait six months to refine its explanation of our goals in afghanistan. it is up to the president to define success and delineate how much time and how many resources should be devoted to achieving it. i appreciate ambassador holbrooke's your willingness to join with us today and your faithfulness in your testimony year after year and i very much look forward to our discussion. thank you mr. chairman. >> thank you very much senator lugar. mr. ambassador, thank you for your patience and we look forward to your-- we have put the full text in the record as if read in full. >> thank you mr. chairman.

i think that they are supporting president karzai in some ways. i think they are also hedging their bets and up to their usual kind of spreading of terrorism. >> what about equipment and training? >> i need to get specific with you to answer that question, sir. but we are very sure that they have done some things counter to our interest, supporting people we are fighting. >> the last time we left a place at the urging of many on the left was one of the -- not the last time, but one of the times was cambodia, and horrible things happened. what do you think the consequences will be for the general population, specifically women, if we leave and allow the taliban to return to power? and do you believe that al qaeda will work with them and reestablish a base for attacks on the united states? >> sir, i have no reason for optimism that if the taliban were left in control that al qaeda would not move back in. they did it before. i don't see any reason why they wouldn't do it again. as far as human rights abuse, senator mccain, this -- this taliban approa

the afghan president says that a missile fired by nato forces killed 52 civilians last week humvee karzai says the incident happened in the sunken district blast friday. nato has not confirmed these claims. the u.s. government has condemned the leaking of tens of thousands of classified documents on the conflict in the afghanistan, saying it could threaten national security. they were published on the internet by wikileaks, which is an organization that specializes in publishing anonymous sensitive documents. >> there are reports from the from lines and have set on the afghan conflict. -- from the front lines and have sensitive information on the conflict. the leader of the taliban is a list of ordering attacks. the documents could be the tip of the iceberg. >> they do not include most reports from u.s. special forces. they do not include report by the cia. they do not include reports by other coalition bodies. but they do include the majority of regular u.s. army activity. >> the news out let that had access to the documents said that the u.s. special forces units had targets to be kille