Obama Warns of 'Difficult' Road Ahead in Pakistan, Afghanistan

May 6, 2009— -- President Obama warned today that there will be more violence in Pakistan and Afghanistan, but added because the security of the two nations and the United States is linked, his administration remains committed to defeating al Qaeda in the region.

"The United States has a stake in the future of these two countries," Obama said after a meeting with Presidents Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan and Asif Ali Zardari of Pakistan. "We have learned time and again that our security is shared. It is a lesson that we learned most painfully on 9/11, and it is a lesson that we will not forget."

The three leaders met this afternoon at the White House amid growing concerns about security in Pakistan in order to discuss how the three nations can work together to stabilize the region.

Obama said the United States must provide "lasting support to democratic institutions" and help support reconstruction efforts in Pakistan while the government there battles an insurgency that threatens the country's security.

"We must do more than stand against those who would destroy Pakistan. We must stand with those who want to build Pakistan," the president said. "I want the Pakistani people to understand that America is not simply against terrorism; we are on the side of their hopes and their aspirations, because we know that the future of Pakistan must be determined by the talent, innovation and intelligence of its people."

Afghanistan's ambassador to the United States, Said T. Jawad, said in an interview with ABC News that the country is seeking specifically to improve intelligence exchange, security and trade and transit in Afghanistan.

"These talks are about getting very very specific measurable objectives set forward and then working together to achieve them and also measure our accomplishment on how far we are coming... What we are seeking is a very clear objectives -- better mechanism of exchanging information, mechanism to measure deliveries of those objectives being set by Afghanistan with the assistance of the United States," Jawad said.

Early today, Afghanistan and Pakistan signed a memorandum of understanding to develop a trade agreement between the two countries by the end of the year, an event dubbed "historic" by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

Karzai and Zardari met with Clinton and others at the State Department this morning to discuss how to combat the growing influence of the Taliban and al Qaeda in the two countries.

Clinton stressed the need for open lines of communication and cooperation among the three countries.

"We have made this common cause because we face a common threat," Clinton said. "And we have a common task and a common challenge. We know that each of your countries is struggling with the extremists who would destabilize and undermine democracy.

"Now, we are not perfect. No human being is. We will make mistakes. But we need to have the kind of open dialogue where we express our concerns about those mistakes," she added.

Clinton expressed her "regret" about the U.S. bombing in Afghanistan that killed dozens of civilians Tuesday and said there will be a joint investigation.

Obama said today that he made clear to Karzai that the U.S. will work with the Afghan government and international partners "to avoid civilian casualties as we help the Afghan government combat our common enemy."

National Security Advisor Gen. Jim Jones said this evening that Karzai did not ask for a suspension of U.S. air strikes while the investigation occurs but was "genuine" in his acceptance of Obama's condolences for the loss of innocent life there.

"It was clear that President Karzai was moved by that, by the president's statement, and he thanked the president for, for starting off the meeting with that -- that expression of condolence," Jones said.

Jawad explicitly said the United States was behind civilian casualties, and that more needs to be done to prevent such attacks.

"And any time civilians are killed, it's a tragedy. Everyone loses. The poor Afghan civilian getting killed is the prime victim but also the international community that's fighting terrorism in Afghanistan has the prime objective of keeping the civilians safe and on their side," he said. "So we are asking once again to come up with better measures to prevent any kind of death to the civilians, which are our most important ally in the war against terrorism in Afghanistan and in the region."

Karzai said that Afghanistan will work on its relationship with Pakistan, calling the two countries "conjoined twins" who share suffering, and said that his country will work to create a stronger partnership to work against extremism.

His counterpart, Zardari, echoed the same tone. He assured Americans and Afghans that "we will also be far more transparent in our actions," not explaining what that transparency would entail.

"This is a cancer," he said. "It needs to be done away with. Pakistan carries a huge burden, confronting al Qaeda and Taliban together, but we are up to the challenge, because we are the democracy, and democracy is the only cure to this challenge."

White House officials said going into the meetings that Obama will push Karzai and Zardari to commit to work more intensely and cooperatively to fight al Qaeda and other extremists.

"The core principle of this meeting is the centrality of Pakistan and Afghanistan to our own national security," a senior administration official said. "We face a common threat."

Obama held separate meetings with both Karzai and Zardari, and then met with both leaders and their delegations together.

In the evening, Vice President Joe Biden will host a dinner with Karzai and Zardari, their respective delegations and congressional leaders.

After Pakistan attempted to enter into a deal with Taliban leaders in April, ceding them the Swat Valley, the Obama administration expressed growing concerns about the stability of Pakistan, a nation with nuclear weapons.

Obama was asked at his news conference last week if he could reassure the American people that Pakistan's nuclear arsenal is secure, even with ongoing fighting with the Taliban there.

"I'm confident that we can make sure that Pakistan's nuclear arsenal is secure," he said. "Primarily, initially, because the Pakistani army, I think, recognizes the hazards of those weapons falling into the wrong hands. We've got strong military-to-military consultation and cooperation."

But Obama said last week he is "gravely concerned" about the "very fragile" civilian government in Pakistan.

Adm. Michael Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said Monday he remains "comfortable" that Pakistan's nuclear weapons are secure and does not think those weapons could get into the hands of terrorists.

"We've invested -- we, the United States -- have invested very significantly over the last three years to work with them to improve that security. And we're satisfied, very satisfied, with that progress," he said at the Pentagon.

But Mullen added that this is a "strategic concern" that the United States and Pakistan share.

Clinton said last month that Pakistan "is basically abdicating to the Taliban and to the extremists."

"Look at why this is happening," Clinton said, testifying before Congress. "If you talk to people in Pakistan, especially in the ungoverned territories, which are increasing in number, they don't believe the state has a judiciary system that works. It's corrupt. It doesn't extend its power into the countryside."

"Swat was a real wake-up call to a lot of people in Pakistan," a senior administration official said. "We understood that and we reflected that. ... We said what we said, and they did what they did."