Help End The Obama Era In 2012
Your Monthly and Quarterly Donations
Help Keep FR In the Battle!
Sponsoring FReepers are contributing$10 Each time a New Monthly Donor signs up!
Get more bang for your FR buck!
Click Here To Sign Up Now!
Posted on 07/09/2012 11:19:06 AM PDT by huldah1776
Karzai made the statement to journalists gathered at a press conference in Tokyo on Sunday, responding to a question as to whether he felt the US should release the prisoners to Qatar - an earlier plan.
"On the issue of the release of the Taliban prisoners from Guantanamo, we are fully in support of that. We actually sent a delegation three months ago to Guantanamo prison where Taliban prisoners were interviewed. We want the release of those Taliban figures and we want them to have the freedom to settle where they want," Karzai said.
Karzai replied to a question about the government's negotiations with the Taliban, saying that Taliban's senior representative Qari Din Mohammad has shown readiness to begin negotiations with the Afghan government.
"Just about two weeks ago, there was a dialogue in Kyoto [Japan] in Dushisha University, all organized by Doshisha University, in which representatives of the Taliban, Hezb-e-Islami and the Afghan peace council discussed the issues of Afghanistan and how to reach a peaceful settlement there, which was a very important step, which was the first time that the Taliban senior representative Qari Din Mohammad, announced that they are willing to talk to the Afghan government," Karzai said, according to a transcript of the briefing supplied by the President's office.
On the matter of corruption, Karzai said that reforms in the area of graft and better governance will not succeed without the support of its international donors.
"There are two hands playing with this in Afghanistan: the way assistance is given to Afghanistan, the way it's disbursed inside Afghanistan, the projects for such assistance, the manner of contracting and contracting mechanism. All of those are the issues that we have to address including, of course, the corruption within the Afghan government and our own system. So to put it in short words on corruption, the two hands must clap, one hand will not deliver." Karzai replied to a Der Spiegel journalist.
Karzai also spoke of the important role of Pakistan in any Afghan peace negotiations, highlighting their role in bringing Pakistani Taliban representatives to the negotiation table.
"Pakistan's contribution to the peace process in Afghanistan can have many layers, it can have many elements. The most important element would be for Pakistan to arrange where it can dialogue between the Afghan government and the Taliban representatives who are in Pakistan, who are stationed in Pakistan and plus all other avenues of diplomatic and political arrangements that the two countries can make in this regard," he said.
Karzai gave the briefing at the Tokyo conference on Afghanistan which saw international donors pledge to the war-torn nation $16bn in civilian aid over four years.
He thanked the nations for their generosity, beginning with Japan which pledged $ 3bn for the next three years.
Other pledges include the US which said it would seek to continue matching its assistance of the past ten years - about $ 2bn annually. Sweden will give $1.2bn until till 2025 or $100 million annually. Germany pledged 450m Euro, Australia $500m for two years, India $500m for some years to come, Asian Development Bank $ 1.2 bn for the next five years, and a host of other countries, including Bangladesh, Pakistan, Qatar, and the European Union.
We want the release of those Taliban figures and we want them to have the freedom to settle where they want,.................................. Good idea, the next time we run into them, we won’t have to bring them back. ;o)
I guess they need more recruits to shoot women in the back!
Did he not just say they would hunt down the Taliban responsible for executing that woman? So lets release their buddies while we’re at it? Yep. He’s serious about catching them.
Am I a nice guy, or what?
Blackmail is a heavy influence!
It also helps when the guy you’re dealing with doesn’t think much of America either....
:) ask them to look for ben Laden while they’re at it.
Of course if he is defeated, Obama could release the prisoners just to make things more difficult for the next President.
When the last American leaves A-stan, and may it be soon, give the Taliban detainees directly to Karzai.
Here’s a question for y’all, if we do pull out, will Afghanistan align with Iran or Pakistan?
I predict Afghanistan will quickly break apart once we pull out.
I have a very real fear that he may do exactly that. In addition he may pardon the blind sheik as the new president of Egypt has demanded. Our AG Holder has extensive experience with these kinds of actions on the way out of office.
We pay them 2 billion/yr and he wants the Taliban who slaughter our troops freed??? Enough with that miserable group! Pull the troops and equipment, cancel the aid, let the military justice system clean house at Gitmo, and tell Karzai to have a nice life. Romney needs to appoint John Bolton as Sec of State.
Karzai who allows the prison breaks...
Who is top choice for Sec of Defense?
Allen West works for me. He can clean out all the political trash at the Pentagon.
rofl. They just want the US out of the picture you low-grade moron.
And right now, so do I. Let the Talibunnies have it back. They'll fix the corruption problem for you. By chopping off your head along with everyone that they even SUSPECT of being corrupt, ie anti-islam.
The Afghan's had their freedom at the price of American blood and they're throwing it away with both hands as fast as they can.
Let the Taliban have it back. Just get US citizens out of that stinkin sh**hole and back to the States where they belong, among civilized people.
Great Choice!
I’d love to see someone like Allen West for Sec Def. Or maybe Dick Cheney?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.