We Talk to the Taliban Every Day: Karzai

Update on Febraury 22, 2012

KABUL - President Hamid Karzai said his government talks to the Taliban every day through intermediaries, according to an interview by Australia's SBS television for broadcast on Tuesday.
Afghan and U.S. officials are seeking negotiations with the Taliban as a way of ensuring peace after foreign combat troops leave in 2014, though the talks lay in a very fragile state and the Islamist group recently rejected they existed at ...

MPs Reject Ministerial Explanations on Budget

Update on Febraury 22, 2012

KABUL - Another four ministers were unable on Tuesday to satisfy Wolesi Jirga members on their failure to spend development funds during the last fiscal year. A day earlier, as many ministers were caught in a similar situation on the issue.
Last week, the lower house unanimously decided to call the 14 ...

Senate Oks Budget, Recommends Cuts

Update on Febraury 22, 2012

KABUL CITY - The Meshrano Jirga, recommending cuts worth more than 12 billion afghanis ($0.24 billion), on Tuesday approved the draft budget for the current fiscal year.
The budget was presented by Finance Minister on Feb. 5, with 134.3 billion afghanis ($2.7 billion) set aside for general budget and 110 ...

Karzai Seeks Pakistan’s Support for Peace Process

Update on Febraury 22, 2012

ISLAMABAD - President Hamid Karzai on Tuesday telephoned Pakistani Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani and sought Islamabad's support for reconciliation talks with the Taliban.
"Karzai underscored Pakistan's importance in the peace process ...

Kabul Renews its Terms for Strategic Pact with US

Update on Febraury 22, 2012

KABUL - The Afghan government on Tuesday listed a halt to nighttime raids and the transfer of coalition-run prisons to its control as key conditions for a strategic cooperation deal with the United States. The reaffirmation of the terms comes two days after Senator John McCain, flanked by four other US lawmakers, told a news ...

Ministers Fail to Satisfy MPs on Budget Spending

Update on Febraury 21, 2012

KABUL The Wolesi Jirga (lower house of Parliament) on Monday rejected answers from four ministers summoned by the house to explain why they could not utilize their last year's budgetary allocations.
Justice Minister Habibullah Ghalib, Refugee Affairs Minister Jamahir Anwari, acting Transport and Civil Aviation Minister Dr. Ali Najafi and Hajj Minister Dr. Yousaf Niazi insisted they had used more than 40 percent of development funds.
A final report on last year's budget says the justice ministry spent ...

People Want Strategic Partnership with US: Karzai

Update on Febraury 21, 2012

KABUL - President Hamid Karzai met with the US Senate delegation led by Senator John McCain.
At this meeting held at the presidential palace, both sides discussed the long-terms cooperation of the US with Afghanistan and the training of the Afghan security forces.
The US Senate delegation expressed pleasure over the progress ...

Afghan Security Foundations Need $4b Annually After 2014

Update on Febraury 21, 2012

KABUL - A high-ranking US military general said that the Afghan security foundations need USD4 billion annually after 2014 when the international forces leave this country.
This US general reiterated that in case we the international coalition in struggle against terrorism wants to safeguard our victories in ...

Pakistan Trip Positive, Result-Oriented: Karzai

Update on Febraury 21, 2012

KABUL - President Hamid Karzai on Monday hailed his recent three-day official visit to Pakistan as an important, unique and result-oriented trip over the past decade.
At a meeting with High Peace Council members, the president said his talks with Pakistan's political leaders and religious figures had been ...

12,500 Students Appear in University Entrance Test

Update on Febraury 21, 2012

KABUL- Up to 12,500 students, 42 percent of them girls, from 40 high schools appeared in the first phase of the university entrance test in Kabul on Monday, an official said.
The test took place simultaneously at Kabul, Medical, Polytechnic and Education Universities, as well as the Loya Jirga tent, Deputy Minister ...

To bring instability or disturb the situation is not difficult

Update on Febraury 20, 2012

ISLAMABAD - Peace efforts in Afghanistan are likely to fail if they do not include all militant groups, a senior member of Hizb-i-Islami Afghanistan (HIA) said on Sunday.
"If any group is isolated or ignored, that group then becomes the center of the resistance, and can cause problems," Ghairat Baheer, of Hizb-i-Islami, told Reuters in Islamabad.
"To bring instability or disturb the situation of Afghanistan is not difficult. It is very easy." Hizb-i-Islami, which means Islamic ...

US, Afghan Strategic Pact Talks Underway: MoFA

Update on Febraury 20, 2012

KABUL - The Afghan Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) said on Sunday that talks between the US and Afghanistan about a long-term strategic agreement are under way.
"Talks have been resumed in Kabul and are going on nicely," Janan Musazai, a spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai recently said that he will not sign ...

Karzai’s Pakistan Trip A Success: Spokesman

Update on Febraury 20, 2012

ISLAMABAD - Afghanistan and Pakistan have agreed on several issues concerning peace talks with the Taliban, with Kabul insisting the achievements made over the past 10 years must be preserved, a spokesman for President Karzai said on Sunday.
Heading a high-level delegation, Karzai on Thursday travelled to ...

Senators Blast High Peace Council’s Performance

Update on Febraury 20, 2012

KABUL - Meshrano Jirga (upper house of Parliament) members, criticizing the performance of the High Peace Council, on Sunday summoned the council secretariat chief and spokesman.
Senator Ali Akbar Jamshedi claimed the council had been unable to achieve any breakthrough in talks with the rebels. He linked the ...

NATO Mistakes Strengthen Taliban: Karzai

Update on Febraury 19, 2012

ISLAMABAD - President Hamid Karzai has said the Taliban have regained strength due to repeated mistakes by the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan.
Addressing an audience at the National Defense University in Islamabad late on Friday, Karzai also thanked NATO for training and equipping Afghan forces. But he said the Taliban had been strengthened due to the mistakes of international troops."Civilian casualties ...

Karzai Urges Pakistan to Resume NATO Supplies

Update on Febraury 19, 2012

ISLAMABAD - President Hamid Karzai has urged Pakistan to resume NATO supplies and charge increased levy, insisting that such a move would benefit both countries.
Talking about talks between the US and the Taliban and the Afghan government role in the issue, he said Afghanistan was aware of the ...

Bids for Oil, Gas Extraction to Be Called on March 7

Update on Febraury 19, 2012

KABUL - A bidding process for oil and gas extraction in 31000 square kilometers of the Afghan-Tajik basin in the northeast would start on March 7, an official said on Saturday.
Six oil and gas zones were recently identified in the energy-deficient country -- Afghan-Tajik, Amu River, Koshk, Terpul in Herat, Kotawas ...

Karzai Had No Testy Exchanges with Pak Officials: Faizi

Update on Febraury 19, 2012

ISLAMABAD - President Hamid Karzai neither had testy exchanges with Pakistani officials over Taliban's presence nor stormed out of a meeting with Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani in Islamabad, his spokesman said on Saturday.
Karzai reportedly used an aggressive tone in asking Pakistan to produce senior Taliban leaders for peace talks with his ...

Afghanistan Hopeful of Pakistan’s Help in Peace Drive

Update on Febraury 19, 2012

ISLAMABAD - Afghanistan is optimistic that regional power Pakistan will help the Kabul government advance a reconciliation process with the Taliban, the Afghan president's spokesman said on Saturday.
Pakistan, seen as crucial to efforts to end the war in Afghanistan, has repeatedly said it wants peace in its ...

Finance, Interior Ministers Satisfy Lawmakers

Update on Febraury 19, 2012

KABUL - Two ministers summoned by the Wolesi Jirga to answer questions from lawmakers were able to satisfy the lower house, an official said on Saturday.
Last week, the MPs decided to summon Finance Minister Hazrat Omar Zakhelwal and Interior Minister Gen. Bismillah ...