Clinton: Afghanistan now best U.S. best friend

Afghan president Hamid Karzai and U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton at a press convention in Kabul on July 7, 2012.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• Other international locations together with Japan, Pakistan and Egypt have non-NATO best friend standing
• The status lets in Kabul and Washington to take care of safeguard relations
• Secretary of State Hillary Clinton makes the declaration in Kabul
• She says the designation is helpful as U.S. troops withdraw

(CNN) -- The U.S. named Afghanistan a huge non-NATO best friend Saturday, clearing the best way for the 2 international locations to take care of a protection and financial dating whilst American struggle troops withdraw.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton introduced the designation all over a marvel consult with to Kabul.

A day after the announcement, she's going to attend a meeting of world donors in Tokyo who could be requested to pledge monetary strengthen for Afghanistan after just about all U.S.-led NATO troops pull in a foreign country by the top of 2014.

The dating is useful in the course of the transition as each countries get ready for post-2014, in step with Clinton.

"It will open the door to Afghanistan's army to have a better capability and broader roughly courting with the United States, and especially the us military," Clinton advised journalists in Kabul.

By granting such best friend status, it makes Afghanistan eligible to obtain army coaching and assistance, together with expediting the gross sales and leasing of army apparatus lengthy after NATO troops leave.

"There are an a variety of benefits that accrue to international locations that experience this designation," she mentioned. "THEY CAN have get right of entry to to extra protection supplies, for example, they usually can also be a part of sure varieties of coaching and capability building."

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The Usa gave Afghanistan the designation as a part of a long-lasting Strategic Partnership Settlement signed in Might by President Barack Obama and his Afghan counterpart, Hamid Karzai.

Afghanistan joins Japan, Pakistan, Egypt, Israel and Australia, amongst others, granted leading non-NATO best friend standing by the us. In contrast to NATO allies of the United States, who're certain in combination by a joint protection pact, there's no mutual security ensure as a non-NATO ally.

Clinton made it transparent the U.S. has no purpose of forsaking Afghanistan after the troops withdrawal.

"We will continue, of course, to give protection to Afghanistan from any efforts by insurgents and outsiders to destabilize Afghanistan," she said.

Clinton and Karzai are headed to the assembly Sunday in Tokyo, the place personal and public donors are anticipated to pledge just about $4 billion in help for reconstruction.

During the scoop conference, Clinton additionally hinted at thawing U.S.-Pakistani relations, which have been just about frozen after the killing of Osama bin Laden, U.S. claims that Pakistan didn't crackdown on insurgents engaging in cross-border assaults in Afghanistan and Islamabad's call for that Washington say sorry for the killing of 24 Pakistani infantrymen in November 2011.

Clinton apologized Tuesday for the killings, prompting Pakistan to permit vans wearing provides to NATO troops to go from Pakistan into Afghanistan for the primary time in seven months.

"We have been struck by the hot name from Pakistan's parliament that Pakistani territory shall no longer be used for any more or less assaults on different countries, and all international fighters, if found, will be expelled from Pakistani soil," Clinton stated throughout the information conference.

"So we wish to deepen our safety cooperation with Pakistan."

Clinton mentioned there could be a gathering at the "ministerial degree" among Pakistan, Afghanistan and the U.S. on the Tokyo gathering.

The Usa has now not publicly stated how much cash it's going to pledge, even though Clinton mentioned Saturday that "after all the us may be creating a really extensive commitment."

There are questions, though, approximately whether or not non-public and industrial donors will decide to huge handouts and not using a make certain that cash would possibly not be siphoned off by corruption rampant in Afghanistan.

Clinton advised newshounds that she was "inspired by what she was listening to" approximately monetary pledges on the Tokyo meeting, however conceded corruption was an enormous challenge.

Poverty and corruption are in style in Afghanistan. It got here in 172nd out of 187 nations within the United Nations' 2011 Human Construction Index, which ranks countries in line with existence expectancy, training and dwelling standards.

Questions had been raised after the United Countries introduced an research in June into its Afghanistan construction fund that can pay the salaries of Afghan police amid allegations of misuse of funds.

"We take significantly any allegations of corruption that contain U.S. funds, and we're running with the United International locations to enhance the stairs they have got stated they'd take to deal with the troubles raised by donors approximately allegations of mismanagement of the Regulation and Order Consider Fund."

Clinton stated "mutual duty could be mentioned" on the assembly in Tokyo.

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CNN's Greg Seaby and Chelsea J. Carter contributed to this record.

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