Clinton arrives in Afghanistan amid security concerns

The Washington Post

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton landed at dusk Monday at Kabul airport, where she was greeted on the runway by Amb. Karl W. Eikenberry and Gen. David H. Petraeus, the commander of U.S. and NATO forces. She was immediately whisked to the U.S. Embassy by helicopter to avoid what officials consider a high threat level during an international conference scheduled for Tuesday.

"Everybody is concerned about security," Clinton told reporters traveling with her following a two-day visit to Pakistan.

Clinton's stay in Afghanistan will be brief -- she leaves mid-afternoon Tuesday. On Monday she held a late-night dinner with Afghan President Hamid Karzai and senior officials from both countries, followed by a one-on-one session with Karzai. The president walked outside the palace to greet her with a welcoming kiss. In a session inside for photographers, Karzai thanked her for "putting so much effort into the conference . . . and for making sure everyone comes."

Karzai also thanked her for "getting us this very good transit agreement with Pakistan. Your presence there, and your standing behind the signatures is a guarantee it should work," he said. The agreement, which is designed to promote commerce between the two nations, was announced Sunday.

Aboard the plane, Clinton said she would discuss corruption issues with Karzai even as the United States "begins to take a hard look at ourselves, because it's very clear that our presence, all of our contracting," has fed corruption in Afghanistan.

Lawmakers in Washington have held up the administration's new aid requests amid widespread reports that both the State and Defense Departments have poor oversight of the funds, which far exceed Afghanistan's national income. A recent House subcommittee investigation detailed tens of millions of dollars in payments to local warlords and powerbrokers to provide security to U.S. military supply convoys traveling through dangerous areas.

"This is a very challenging environment, and I can understand some of the [contracting] decisions," Clinton said. "But that's no excuse."

Clinton will meet with a group of Afghan women Tuesday morning before the official start of the conference. "I am absolutely determined that [women] are going to be part of this future in Afghanistan," she said. "I'm deliberately starting my day that way, so I can reference" the importance of women's rights" during the conference."

The conference will feature 72 delegations, including 57 foreign ministers. It is designed to demonstrate continued international support for Afghanistan even as the toll of the war -- both in terms of money and lives lost -- climbs.