Afghan President Hamid Karzai today welcomed a US review of strategy on Afghanistan and Pakistan as better than expected, and welcomed the inclusion of Iran in a regional role.
Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari, facing a growing Islamist insurgency, said the US move was a "positive change" because of its emphasis on economic progress as a means to combat militancy.
US President Barack Obama unveiled the new war strategy yesterday, its key goal being to crush al Qaeda militants in Afghanistan and in Pakistan who he said were plotting new attacks on the United States.
"In short words, this is better than we were expecting as a matter of fact, we back it, and we hope to go for it to a full implementation," Mr Karzai told a news conference.
Addressing parliament in Islamabad, Zardari said: "We are fighting militancy and extremism for our own sake. We will continue to do so for the sake of our children."
The new US strategy comes with violence in Afghanistan at its highest level since U.S.-led forces ousted the Taliban for sheltering al Qaeda leaders behind the September 11, 2001, attacks on the United States.
The insurgents, often operating from safe havens in the border regions of Pakistan, have escalated their attacks, with violence spreading from the south and east to the outskirts of the capital, Kabul.
Mr Karzai welcomed the review's emphasis on involving Afghanistan's neighbours in the fight against the Taliban and al Qaeda and in the development of his war-torn country.
"The plan to include Iran in a regional role ... it's a positive thing and we hope to use this opportunity in a positive way for the good of Afghanistan," he told a news conference.
"We back this and we will be working very, very closely with the U.S. government to prepare for and to work on implementing everything laid out in this strategy," he said.
In Washington, a senior White House official said the United States hoped to "constructively engage" with Iran on issues related to Afghanistan at an international conference in The Hague on Tuesday.
Mr Obama plans to send 4,000 more U.S. troops to train the Afghan army, along with hundreds of civilian personnel to improve the government's delivery of basic services. The force will be in addition to the 17,000 combat troops he has already ordered to Afghanistan ahead of elections in August.
The 17,000 will reinforce 38,000 US.troops and 32,000 from some 40 NATO allies and other nations already in Afghanistan.
Mr Karzai also encouraged the United States to engage "non-ideologically aligned" members of the Taliban.
"In that strategy one thing that is very, very important is peace talks with the Taliban, those who are not linked with al Qaeda or terrorist networks and are from this country and comply with the constitution," he said.
"We sincerely accept that, and have long demanded it."
Mr Karzai added such talks would not succeed unless the international community, including the United Nations, agreed to remove the names of some Afghans from terrorism black lists he said had been included for no reason.
"We want the United Nations to wipe off the names of those mentioned in the black list and lift the restrictions, those who are not affiliated with al Qaeda and those who want peace," he said.
Reuters