The U.S. Secretary of States Condoleezza Rice and her British counterpart David Miliband met Thursday President Karzai and discussed variety of matters of mutual concern that included counter-terrorism and international community’s continued commitment to Afghanistan.

In a joint press conference following their personal meetings, Secretary Rice praised Afghanistan’s progress under President Karzai’s leadership and said, “We have now been partners since 2001 and I think that it is fair to say that if you look at the Afghanistan of 2001 and the Afghanistan of now, there is a remarkable difference for the better. It is our intention as partners for you and your government and for the people of Afghanistan to continue that progress and to indeed intensify that progress.”

Secretary Rice stated that the Taliban and Alqaeda have turned increasingly to tactics of coward, which is to go after the innocent, bomb people who are defenseless and to kidnap people who are defenseless. She added that more work needs to be done, “it is encouraging to continue to build the Afghan security forces, to build the police forces and to continue the determined efforts of the coalition to help the Afghan people to obtain security.”

In answer to a question about whether there was a need for a change in the US strategy on war on terror, Secretary Rice said she believed that what was happening in the counterinsurgency struggle in Afghanistan was having good effect, but the work was not yet complete. She urged that we have to have a population that is secure from terrorists and insurgents and that is the role of the coalition forces and the Afghan army. She continued, “You then have to have the ability for the population to remain secure by having enough police forces and enough people who can prevent the terrorists from returning. You then have to have an effective program of building, of providing services for people, and all of that has to be done in the context of improving the capability of the Afghan Government to govern its people at different levels.”

Secretary Miliband of Britain told President Karzai at the conference that he was here to recommit the British Government to the plans that the Prime Minister set out in the House of Commons in December, at the heart of which is a determination to work with you against the shared enemies that we have, the enemies of terrorism which Secretary Rice rightly spoke about, but also the enemies of poverty, the enemies of ill health, the enemies of low- standing economic development, all of which conspire against the aspirations of the Afghan people to build a decent life for themselves. He said he was here to help the Afghan people build a decent life for themselves.

President Karzai thanked US, Britain and the rest of the international community for their assistance to Afghanistan and said that both the US and Britain once again reaffirmed their commitment to our country until we ourselves can stand against the common enemy of terrorism and rebuild the country.

In respond to a question about a conclusion by an American panel that said Afghanistan was a forgotten war, President Karzai pointed to some of the progress Afghanistan has made and said , “our moved forward towards having completed many highways, extended to the rest of the country with roads mowed, asphalted, paved and secondary roads. Access to healthcare for the whole country -- I'm very, very happy to note that. Eighty-five thousand children being saved now in Afghanistan that we could not four years ago, a better economy and better wages, more business, a better life, and a constitution and democratic institutions and a free press and so on. So, if we are given more attention, we will be very, very glad and thankful. But it is not right that Afghanistan was forgotten. Had Afghanistan been forgotten, we would not have been able to save thousands of children's lives today. Had Afghanistan been forgotten, we would have not had the thousands of kilometers of roads and the improving, more capable administration every day.”

In another question about agreement over the appointment of a new UN envoy to Afghanistan, President Karzai said, “we were close to an agreement on this before, too, and I'm very, very sorry that Mr. Ashdown could not begin his job, that it didn't work out. Whoever the Secretary General picks up to come and serve in Afghanistan with the backing of the international community, Afghanistan will support.”

The President further stated that the new UN envoy will work to coordinate the international efforts in Afghanistan and the issue of fighting corruption is the responsibility of the Afghans themselves, against which international community can help by providing us with better means and equipments for a sound administration.