Australia and US to discuss Afghan war

Defence Minister John Faulkner will meet his US counterpart and other senior
officials on Thursday to discuss the war in Afghanistan.
Senator Faulkner has hinted at hastening Australia's withdrawal from the war-torn
nation ahead of the fresh round of meetings which come a fortnight after NATO and
other nations fighting in Afghanistan met for talks in Bratislava.
"General Stanley McChrystal's assessment of the Afghanistan campaign, the need to
support the ongoing growth and development of the Afghan National Security Forces
and the importance of complementing our military efforts with governance
improvements will be important elements of our discussions," Senator Faulkner said
in a statement on Wednesday.
General McChrystal has asked US President Barack Obama for 40,000 extra troops to be
sent to the central Asian nation in a bid to defeat the Taliban, al-Qaeda and other
rogue elements after an eight-year war.
President Obama is still considering the McChrystal plan with many analysts
suggesting he will not commit as many new troops as requested.
Despite his recent comments that Australia is considering how to leave more quickly,
Senator Faulkner was keen to reiterate the bipartisan commitment to the US alliance.
"My visit will also be a valuable opportunity to emphasise the value of the alliance
to Australia and the United States," he said.
"The relationship has served both countries well for more than 50 years."
Both the civilian and military heads of the Australian Defence Force are flying to
Washington with the minister.
The trio will also meet the director of national intelligence Dennis Blair, the man
responsible for US operations in the Middle East, David Petraeus, and security
adviser Jim Jones.
Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Stephen Smith says a political realignment is needed in
Afghanistan to give its people an alternative.
Mr Smith said the re-election of Hamid Karzai as president was welcome despite the
controversy surrounding the Afghan polls.
"The election itself has been controversial," Mr Smith told reporters.
"But I make this point ... irrespective of which government or which president the
Afghan election process saw emerge, the key and most important point in Australia's
view is now to look to the future."
Mr Karzai must make substantial progress on governance, corruption and
anti-narcotics policy, Mr Smith said.
The Afghan president must also make substantial progress on the nation becoming
responsible for its own security, which would require a stronger focus on the
training of the Afghan army and police, he said.
"... there had been an ebbing of confidence in the Karzai government as a result of
a failure to make progress on governance, on corruption and on narcotics," Mr Smith
said.
"At some point in the cycle there needs to be a political rapprochement, a political
realignment, a political reconciliation in Afghanistan.
"That can only start with the Afghanistan government and the Afghanistan political
process and the Afghanistan people themselves."
Mr Smith said some people travelled with the Taliban because they could see no
alternative.
"The Karzai government needs to show that alternative," he said.
Australia would meet its international obligation and complete its mission in
Afghanistan and there had been no indication extra troops would be required, Mr
Smith said.
"Not only have we not been received a request for additional resources, we're not
expecting to receive one," he said.