taliban-controlled, so the timing, how the reconciliation works, at what point do the taliban start making different calculations about what s in their interests and how the afghan people feel about these issues is in part going to be dependent upon our success in terms of carrying out our mission now. so we are very i think an important partner in facilitating this potential reconciliation and effectively empowering the afghan government so that it is in the strongest possible position as these talks move forward. let me just say in conclusion, again, mr. president, i m grateful for your visit, this is a reaffirmation of the friendship between the american people and the afghan people. when i came into office, i made it very clear that after years of some drift in the relationship, that i saw
with the strong efforts that president karzai has made thursday far, and i think that we both agree that we re going to have to make more efforts in the future, and there are going to be setbacks, there are going to be times when our governments disagree on a particular tactic, but what i m very confident about is that we share a broad strategy, one that i hope we can mem orize in memorialize in a declaration by the end of this year. sir, the relationship between afghanistan and the united states is now into its tenth year, and in the form that it has since september 11, 2001. it s not an imaginary relationship. it s a real relationship. it s based on some very hard and difficult realities.
we are in a campaign against terrorism together. there are days that we are happy, there are days that we are not happy. it s a mutual relationship. towards a common objective. and definitely, days have come in which we ve had differences of opinion and definitely days in the future will come in which we have differences of opinion. but the nteations well-rooted and hayears of desreme activity on both so believe what you a monhs is reflve of d stro relationship, andiden on yt descrid, there a moments we speak frankly to each other and that frankness will only add to te strength he relaiothe ttbo linee
government disagree tactically but i think our overarching approach is unified and i think that the visit by president karzai to the united states and his welingsness to listen to our concerns even as we listen to his, as he indicated, only makes the relationship stronger. thank you very much, everybody. [applause] thank you. thank you. jon a grand diplomatic setting, the very formal east room of the white house there, for a news conference. a lot of glowing words between two leaders who do not always see eye to eye, afghan s president, hamid karzai, and president barack obama of the united states. you heard the president mention there that he believes that he will be able to begin drawing down american forces in afghanistan, beginning in july of 2011. that has always been the timetable that he has expressed confidence in.
afghanistan is a partner and a friend with the united states. the united states is our greatest contributor to stability and reconstruction, as the provider of 80 percent of the support that afghanistan receives. and afghanistan s desire to engage in a strong, steady, long-term relationship with america is one that we have expressed clearly and publicly and repeatedly. we ve also spoken with our american counterparts from the very beginning that iran is our neighbor, and a brother, and we want to have the best of relations with them. they ve had contributions to afghanistan s reconstruction. we wish that afghanistan remains friendly to both,