British minister: Aid to Afghanistan is conditional on Karzai government’s performance

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British FM says aid to Afghanistan conditional

ISLAMABAD — Britain’s foreign secretary said Saturday that international financial support for Afghanistan was conditional on a better performance by Afghan President Hamid Karzai’s government, which has been tainted by accusations of corruption.

“We won’t pay, and others won’t pay, if we’re not sure where the money’s going,” David Miliband told Associated Press Television News in an interview in the Pakistani capital.

Miliband was in Pakistan for a two-day visit, his sixth since becoming foreign secretary. He was in the British-allied South Asian nation to promote an upcoming conference in London on Afghanistan.

The conference will be co-hosted by the British and Afghan governments at the end of January and bring together more than 60 countries and international institutions.

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown has laid out a series of milestones for the conference, which Afghanistan’s government will have to stick to. Those milestones include a timetable for reforming the country’s police force and fighting corruption.

Miliband said Karzai had set out a “very clear roadmap” during his recent inauguration speech asking the international community for more support. But Miliband said the world would be watching to see if Karzai would fulfill his promises to improve the lives of Afghans.

Miliband also said while the Afghan people “don’t want to go back to Taliban misrule,” he voiced support for reducing the militants’ ranks through reconciliation and other efforts.

Some people who were attracted to the insurgency should be “brought back into the community” to work and defend it, he said.

Earlier Saturday, David Miliband met with Pakistan’s Prime Minister Yousaf Reza Gilani and held talks and a press conference with Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi. He is expected to see President Asif Ali Zardari and opposition politician Nawaz Sharif, as well as military chief Gen. Ashfaq Parvez Kayani.