“Calls for peace cannot be met by military measures alone. Peace can be achieved by contributions in political and other areas,” Karzai was quoted as saying by the Anatolia news agency at a breakfast meeting with President Abdullah Gül and representatives of seven other countries on the sidelines of an economic summit held by the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) in İstanbul.“It is high time that Afghanistan begins to live a life of peace and prosperity,” he told the breakfast meeting before the formal opening of the summit. “Afghanistan’s interest is primarily in having close brotherly relations with its neighbors, freedom of trade and transit and an effective environment of cooperation.”
The widespread fraud reported during the election and his chief rival’s refusal to contest a runoff have damaged Karzai’s credibility at the start of his second term. Karzai was seen as a guarantor of Western aid when he was first elected in 2004, but his relations with the United States and other Western allies have become strained by allegations of corruption and misgovernment.
Most trade with landlocked Afghanistan passes through the conflict-ridden border with Pakistan and through Iran. Karzai’s popularity dwindled at home as Afghans increasingly believed they had failed to benefit from billions of dollars in aid and a growing Taliban insurgency contributed to their sense of insecurity.
Gül expressed support for Karzai’s efforts to unite the country after the bitterly fought election. “I am confident that the focus in the short term will be on the establishment as soon as possible of a government that will pull the country back together and embrace every corner of Afghanistan and every segment of Afghan society. This is urgently needed after a long election process.” He also asked for support for NATO efforts to stabilize Afghanistan and eradicate groups such as al-Qaeda. “We are there to stop the threat of terrorism to the entire region and the world. We are there because Afghanistan cannot be allowed to become a safe haven for terrorists,” Gül said.
He said Afghanistan needed foreign military and economic support until the Afghans were able to ensure their own security. “We cannot stay in Afghanistan forever. A robust training and equipment program will enable us to leave and our Afghan brothers to take over security fully,” Gül said. “As stakeholders in the region, we cannot expect the United States and other Western powers to solve the problems by themselves. We should shoulder our responsibilities.”
