ID :
134273
Fri, 07/23/2010 - 08:20
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/134273
The shortlink copeid
Longer int'national presence needed in Afghan : Krishna
New Delhi, July 22 (PTI) With the US having announced
that it will begin pulling out its troops from Afghanistan
from July 2011, India Thursday said that "international
presence" in the war-torn country was needed for a much longer
time.
Just back from Kabul after attending an international
conference on Afghanistan, Indian External Affairs Minister
S M Krishna told PTI here that he shared President Hamid
Karzai's enthusiasm for Afghan forces to take over security of
the entire country from 2014.
"He is very enthusiastic and I am very happy about it.
He is also confident that he will be able to raise his own
security force," said Krishna, who had discussions with Karzai
and U S Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in the Afghan
capital.
Asked if India was willing to help in raising the
security forces necessary for the task, the minister replied,
"Well, if Afghanistan asks India shall help. We have been
helping Afghanistan in our own way. It depends on what kind
of help they seek and what kind of help we can render."
Responding to a question as to whether the US decision
to commence troops pull out in a year was premature, Krishna
said, "I feel that international presence is needed in
Afghanistan for a much longer time than it has now now been
projected. We hope that international presence will act as
some kind of insulation to Afghanistan for normalisation."
Asked whether India would like the US to take a fresh
look at its decision, the minister said that New Delhi had
conveyed its views to the US and to Afghanistan in bilateral
meetings.
To a question on Pakistan's efforts to play the power
broker in Afghanistan, Krishna said that India had emphasised
that initiative for future set up in the country had to be
"Afghan-led and Afghan-owned".
Asked whether there was a shift in India's stand on
good Taliban and bad Taliban, he said, "Well, we cannot wish
away Taliban. Who are Taliban--they are all citizens of
Afghanistan.
"There is a realisation among individual members of
Taliban that their movement is not not going to be helpful to
Afghanistan and that they should reconsider their association
with Taliban. Then I think they should go back to the
mainstream." PTI PYK
MYR
that it will begin pulling out its troops from Afghanistan
from July 2011, India Thursday said that "international
presence" in the war-torn country was needed for a much longer
time.
Just back from Kabul after attending an international
conference on Afghanistan, Indian External Affairs Minister
S M Krishna told PTI here that he shared President Hamid
Karzai's enthusiasm for Afghan forces to take over security of
the entire country from 2014.
"He is very enthusiastic and I am very happy about it.
He is also confident that he will be able to raise his own
security force," said Krishna, who had discussions with Karzai
and U S Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in the Afghan
capital.
Asked if India was willing to help in raising the
security forces necessary for the task, the minister replied,
"Well, if Afghanistan asks India shall help. We have been
helping Afghanistan in our own way. It depends on what kind
of help they seek and what kind of help we can render."
Responding to a question as to whether the US decision
to commence troops pull out in a year was premature, Krishna
said, "I feel that international presence is needed in
Afghanistan for a much longer time than it has now now been
projected. We hope that international presence will act as
some kind of insulation to Afghanistan for normalisation."
Asked whether India would like the US to take a fresh
look at its decision, the minister said that New Delhi had
conveyed its views to the US and to Afghanistan in bilateral
meetings.
To a question on Pakistan's efforts to play the power
broker in Afghanistan, Krishna said that India had emphasised
that initiative for future set up in the country had to be
"Afghan-led and Afghan-owned".
Asked whether there was a shift in India's stand on
good Taliban and bad Taliban, he said, "Well, we cannot wish
away Taliban. Who are Taliban--they are all citizens of
Afghanistan.
"There is a realisation among individual members of
Taliban that their movement is not not going to be helpful to
Afghanistan and that they should reconsider their association
with Taliban. Then I think they should go back to the
mainstream." PTI PYK
MYR
