Karzai, Bush confer, downplay disputes

Bush did not grant country's request for custody of detainees.
WASHINGTON POST
WASHINGTON -- President Bush rebuffed Afghan President Hamid Karzai's effort to gain greater control over U.S. military operations in his country Monday, as the two leaders endorsed an agreement allowing the United States to continue its policy of only consulting with Afghan officials before launching raids in Afghanistan.
Bush also turned down Karzai's request for Afghanistan to take custody of its citizens being detained by the United States as suspected terrorists, saying that Afghanistan lacks facilities where the suspects "can be housed and fed and guarded." The United States is detaining hundreds of former Taliban fighters, many of whom were captured in Afghanistan after the U.S. invasion more than three years ago.
News reports of abuse of some detainees by U.S. guards in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and the Bagram military base in Afghanistan have ignited outrage in Afghanistan and other parts of the Islamic world. This led to Karzai's efforts to gain control of Afghans in U.S. custody.
"Our policy, as you know, has been to work our way through those who are being held in Guantanamo and send them back to the host countries," Bush said at a White House news conference. "And we will do so over time with the Afghan government."
Strategic partnership
The two leaders played down their disagreements when they emerged from a meeting to face reporters in the East Room of the White House. Instead, they talked about their newly signed strategic partnership, outlining the terms of continued U.S. economic and military help for Afghanistan as the nation struggles to establish a democratic government.
Karzai said that "Afghanistan will not suddenly stand on its own feet" even with ratification of a constitution, his own election as president and parliamentary elections scheduled for September. "Politically, we would have done the process ... but in terms of the institutional strength, Afghanistan will continue to need a lot of support," he said.
In a joint declaration between the two nations, the United States promised to provide much of that help. It will continue to train Afghan military and other security personnel, and maintain a military presence to battle the remnants of the Taliban regime and Al-Qaida fighters once based there. U.S. personnel will also help fight the nation's deeply entrenched illegal drug business.
"I've got great faith in the future in Afghanistan," Bush said, Karzai standing beside him. "First, I've got great faith in the ability of democracy to provide hope. And I've got faith in this man as a leader. He has shown tremendous courage in the face of difficult odds."