Hillary Blames Bush For Afghanistan Problems
Jul 20, 2010 4 Comments ›› Pat Dollard
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton blames the former Bush administration for the insecurity gripping Afghanistan amid rise in attacks against foreign troops.
Clinton, who arrived in Kabul on Monday ahead of a key international conference on the future of peace and security in Afghanistan, held talks with the country’s President Hamid Karzai who will co-chair the summit with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon on Tuesday, AFP reported.
The US Secretary of State defended the Obama administration’s strategy in Afghanistan at a time when a recent poll shows more than 50 percent of Americans want US soldiers to pull out of the war-hit country.
In an interview with BBC, she warned against abrupt and permanent withdrawal from Afghanistan, adding the war was “a fight worth waging.”
However, Clinton acknowledged that the Obama administration was playing “catch up” and said that George W. Bush’s administration should be blamed for the deterioration and difficulties facing the Obama administration.
Defending the strategy in Afghanistan that has so far failed to curb the mounting insurgency, Clinton said she thinks the current plan is the right one.
“I don’t see an alternative. I think we are on the right track and I think we have to persevere and I think we can do that,” Clinton said.
After landing at the Kabul airport, she was greeted by the US Ambassador to Afghanistan, Karl Eikenberry, and the commander of US and NATO forces, Gen David Petraeus.
The US Secretary of State dined with President Karzai as the two were putting final touches on preparations for the international conference on Afghanistan, which will be attended by 70 international representatives including 40 foreign ministers.
Karzai is expected to negotiate with visiting officials over issues ranging from development priorities and peace talks with the Taliban to setting a timeframe for the Afghan police to take over responsibility for the country’s security, allowing foreign combat troops to withdraw by the end of 2014.
Afghan officials are set to unveil a string of proposals covering governance economic and social development, the rule of law and justice, human rights and aid effectiveness.
