(27 Jan 2010)
1. Wide pan of German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Afghan President Hamid Karzai arriving for news conference at the Chancellery
2. Photographers taking pictures
3. SOUNDBITE: (English) Hamid Karzai, Afghan President:
"Afghanistan wants to soon be defending its own territory, its own people, with Afghan means. We have a journey to complete together towards that end of the Afghan security forces finding the ability and the capacity to provide security for the Afghan people. I''m very happy to hear from madame Chancellor that that has to be a goal, success-oriented, not time-bound."
4. Mid of journalists listening
5. SOUNDBITE: (German) Angela Merkel, German Chancellor:
"It''s is very, very important that a signal will be sent to the Taliban: even when all Afghan forces have been trained, the international community will see to it that this army and police are able to survive. Otherwise the Taliban can hope to attack immediately when the police and security forces are not properly paid, and therefore not motivated. This requires a long term responsibility that we have for Afghanistan. That means no concrete date for withdrawal, but ambitious goals regarding the training of Afghan security forces."
6. SOUNDBITE: (English) Hamid Karzai, Afghan President:
"By the end of my five-year term we are working hard to able to lead security operations all over the country. The training of the Afghan forces, both the military and the police, is an issue that Chancellor Merkel and I discussed in detail in the two meetings that we had, and that is going to be the focus of the Afghan attention and our partners in the international community."
7. Mid of cameraman filming
8. Wide of Merkel and Karzai zoom to mid shot as they shake hands
STORYLINE:
Afghanistan aims to soon reduce the burden on its allies of providing security, but Afghan forces will need long-term international support, Afghan President Hamid Karzai said on Wednesday.
Karzai met German Chancellor Angela Merkel on his way to an international conference in London on his country''s future.
Merkel has announced plans to send more troops and step up training of Afghan forces.
"Afghanistan wants to soon be defending its own territory, its own people, with Afghan means," Karzai said.
Germany hopes to start reducing its contingent in Afghanistan next year but Merkel stressed that she isn''t setting a specific withdrawal date,
because Berlin doesn''t want to play into the hands of Taliban insurgents.
Merkel made clear it would be important to keep providing financial aid following an eventual international withdrawal, because "otherwise the Taliban can hope to attack immediately when the police and security forces are not properly paid, and therefore not motivated."
The German leader said she had made clear that she wants a transparent Afghan government and that fighting corruption is a priority.
Corruption allegations have emerged as a key problem as Karzai seeks to restore public trust and turn back a resurgent Taliban.
The Afghan troop deployment is unpopular in Germany, which has some 4,300 troops in the country''s north.
A poll of 1,002 people released on Wednesday found that 79 percent oppose sending more soldiers.
It said 32 percent advocate an immediate withdrawal and another 24 percent would like to see troops out by the end of next year.
The poll by the Forsa institute for Stern magazine was conducted January 20-21. It gave a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.
The conference in London begins on Thursday.
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