(26 Sep 2008) SHOTLIST
1. US President George W. Bush and Afghan President Hamid Karzai seated at table
2. SOUNDBITE (English) George W. Bush, US President:
"There was promise and progress. No question it's difficult, but if you listen to the people who are actually on the ground working with the citizens of Afghanistan on matters such as agriculture or education or infrastructure, you'll understand why I said that there is progress and promise and hope."
3. Cutaway
4. SOUNDBITE (English) George W. Bush, US President:
"I want to let you know that the United States is committed to the people of Afghanistan, we will stand by your side and do the hard work necessary to achieve our objective, and our objective is for you to become a thriving democracy and to deny al-Qaida and other extremists a safe-haven or a base from which to launch their murderous attacks."
5. Cutaway
6. Karzai at table
7. SOUNDBITE (English) Hamid Karzai, Afghan President:
"Life is better. Of course we have challenges and the challenges will continue to face us as we move ahead. The success is already there. The success will be completed. You will be leaving office, Mr President, together with the vice president, in a few months from today. But I would like you to remember as you leave office that Afghanistan will remember you tremendously nicely, with affection, and you're there in our memory in a golden plate. Come and visit us so we can share it to you in a manner that we do traditionally in Afghanistan."
8. Bush and Karzai at table
9. SOUNDBITE (English) Hamid Karzai, Afghan President:
"It's an honour to have associated with you, to have had your friendship, and to have had your support, and to have had your patience with me and some of our habits up there. Very, very nice of you. I've yelled at times, I've been angry at times, but you've always been smiling and generous and that's so nice of you."
10. Karzai and Bush shake hands
STORYLINE:
President George W. Bush has highlighted civilian reconstruction work that has improved daily life in Afghanistan despite extremists attacks that have made this the most violent year since the U.S.-led invasion that threw out the hard-line Taliban regime in 2001.
During his session with Afghan President Hamid Karzai on Friday, Bush said work being done by more than two dozen reconstruction teams is a central part of the counterinsurgency strategy in the nation.
Bush said "no question it's difficult, but if you listen to the people who are actually on the ground working with the citizens of Afghanistan on matters such as agriculture, or education, or infrastructure, you'll understand why I said that there is progress and promise and hope."
US-Afghan relations have recently suffered over the deaths of civilians during bombing raids.
An Afghan commission found that an August 22 US-led operation in the western village of Azizabad killed 90 civilians, including 60 children.
Twenty-six reconstruction teams now operate in Afghanistan - 12 led by the US and 14 directed by North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) allies and coalition partners.
Karzai thanked Bush for his friendship and support.
"I would like you to remember as you leave office that Afghanistan will remember you tremendously nicely, with affection, and you're there in our memory in a golden plate," Karzai said.
There has been tension surrounding the escalating violence along Afghanistan's southern border, including this week's exchange of fire between US and Pakistan forces.
There are now about 31-thousand US troops in Afghanistan and roughly an equal number of coalition troops.
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