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Obama: No Afghanistan Drawdown This Year. Aired 3-3:30p ET

Aired March 24, 2015 - 15:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


(LIVE PRESSER IN PROGRESS)

[14:59:56] QUESTION: Thank you very much. This is (inaudible) from Kabul Base Tashosovilni (ph) newspaper.

There's a double math. You're talking about the long-term strategy between Afghanistan and United States. At the same time you're talking about deadlines, about the withdrawal of the soldiers from Afghanistan. How do you ensure the long-term or how do you define the long-term strategy partnership after 2017? Or from 2017 onward?

Mr. President Ghani, I wanted to -- what do you expect, Mr. President, what was the expectation coming to the United States and what would you like to return with to Afghanistan?

AFGHAN PRESIDENT ASHRAF GHANI (THROUGH TRANSLATOR): Our expectations were that our cooperation will be enhanced. And we will have clear vision and practical vision for cooperation for -- an enduring cooperation with the United States to be there. And this change of environment has occurred. And today the United States Government and -- considers the Government of Afghanistan a really reliable partner.

Commitments that are made are considerable, and the funding proposal of supporting Afghan security forces by 2017, and it has reached to $4.1 billion. It's nothing less. It's a significant issue. It's a very important issue.

And also yesterday, there was a new framework of our economic cooperation was laid out, according to which $800 million were made, a commitment were made. Those will be spent through the Afghan budget. But most importantly, is the flexibility that has been shown in the area of security cooperation and this flexibility is going to ensure and provide confidence to our security forces and our people and also is going to send a very strong message to the region that this cooperation is not short term, but is enduring and long term.

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Our strategic partnership is based on a very simple principle. We want the Afghan people, through their security forces, directed by their president and commander in chief, to be able to provide for their own security. And our goal is to make sure that we are a strong partner in helping to build and sustain effective Afghan security forces.

So from the start, when I first came into office, we put additional U.S. troops, coalition troops and resources into Afghanistan to shift momentum at a time when the Taliban and the enemies of peace and stability inside of Afghanistan, I think, were moving and had momentum. We broke that momentum. Elections took place. And the Afghan national security forces began to build up and get trained and become more and more effective.

And because of a successful election and a National Unity Government and the leadership of President Ghani and Dr. Abdullah, we're in a position where the Afghan security forces are not only more effective, but they're also better directed by the civilian government.

We've been able to draw down and remove ourselves from a combat role, as President Ghani indicated, without collapse, as was predicted. And Afghan soldiers have fought, and they've fought well. And obviously, there's still improvements to be made, but they're making significant progress.

So, the strategic partnership involves us continuing to help support Afghan security forces. That means financially. The international community is going to have to continue to provide assistance to the Afghan government, which is carrying a significant security load, not only for itself, but for the region, and in some ways the world. And we've made a commitment to do that.

And we're going to continue to provide the kind of security cooperation and support that is required. Training, assisting, advising, helping on logistics, helping on developing enabler capacity -- all the things that go into a modern military, a professional military, a professional police force, that can provide security on Afghan soil, by Afghans.

And the cooperation and the strategic partnership involves building up the prosperity and opportunities for the Afghan people through the economic development that was mentioned by the President. So we intend to be working with the Afghan Government and the Afghan people for a long time. And, you know, in many ways our troop presence, our military assistance is just one component of what is a much larger process.

And the more successful we are in building Afghan capacity and strengthening the Afghan economy, the more the strategic partnership that we have will be like the partnership that we have with many countries around the world. And it will be based on mutual interest and scientific and educational exchanges and business opportunities and commerce and trade. And that, I think, is the goal that we're all looking for.

Josh Letterman?

QUESTION: Thank you, Mr. President. You've made very clear that you're not buying Prime Minister Netanyahu's attempts to walk back the comments that he made before the election opposing Palestinian statehood and that you're reassessing your approach.

What could Prime Minister Netanyahu do, if anything, in the short term, to persuade you that he's series about Israeli/Palestinian peace and that he's an honest broker that you could work with? Or is it too late to repair that relationship during your presidency? And is there any truth to allegations that Israel was spying on the Iran talks?

And President Ghani, if I may, you've been working very hard to pursue reconciliation talks with the Taliban, but there's some indications that that's not going so well and that they may not be willing to sit down with you.

What makes you hopeful that you can get those talks off the ground? And do you want the U.S. to be involved in those talks?

OBAMA: Let me, first of all, address your second question about spying allegations. As a general rule, I don't comment on intelligence matters in a big room full of reporters, and I think I'll continue that tradition.

But with respect to the possibility of a -- an agreement that ensures Iran doesn't get a nuclear weapon, we have not just briefed Congress about the progress or lack thereof that's being made, but we also briefed the Israelis and our other partners in the region and around the world.

And if, in fact, an agreement is arrived at that we feel confident will prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, it's gonna be there for everybody to see. And people are gonna be able to lift up the hood and see what's in there.

So, you know, I have -- I have confidence that if there's an agreement, it's gonna be a good agreement that's good for American security and Israeli security and the region's security. And if it isn't, then there probably won't be an agreement. So, there will be, I think, significant transparency in the whole process.

With respect to Israel's relations with the Palestinians, I think it's important to understand that the issue here is not what I believe, but it's what the Palestinians and the parties in the negotiations and the Israeli people believe is possible. That's the most important issue.

You know, I've said before and I'll simply repeat, you know, Prime Minister Netanyahu in the election run-up stated that a Palestinian state would not occur while he was prime minister.

And I took him at his word that that's what he meant. And I think a lot of voters inside of Israel understood him to be saying that fairly unequivocally.

Afterwards, he pointed out that he didn't say never, but that there would be a series of conditions in which a Palestinian state could potentially be created, but, of course, the conditions were such that they would be impossible to meet any time soon.

OBAMA: So, even if you accept it, I think the corrective of Prime Minister Netanyahu's in subsequent days, there still does not appear to be a prospect of a meaningful framework established that would lead to a Palestinian state, even if there were a whole range of conditions and security requirements that might be phased in over a long period of time, which was always the presumption. I don't think anybody ever envisioned, in any peace agreement,

certainly not one that Prime Minister Netanyahu would agree to or that the Israeli people would agree to, that overnight you suddenly have a Palestinian state right next to Jerusalem and that Israel would not have a whole range of security issues that had to be met and that it would be phased in over a long period of time.

So, the issue has -- has never been, do you create a Palestinian state overnight? The question is, do you create a process and a framework that gives the Palestinians hope, the possibility, that down the road they have a secure state of their own, standing side by side with a secure, fully recognized Jewish state of Israel?

And I think -- it's not just my estimation, I think it is hard to envision how that happens, based on the prime minister's statements.

And so, when I said that we have to now do an evaluation of where we are, it's not in reference to our commitment to Israel's military edge in the region, Israel's security, our intelligence cooperation, our military cooperation. That continues unabated.

And I will continue to do whatever I need to do to make sure that our friends in Israel are safe. That's what I've done since I've been president. And that's not gonna stop. And so the Israeli people need to know that.

But I am required to evaluate honestly how we manage Israeli/Palestinian relations over the next several years. Because up until this point, the premise has been, both under Republican and Democratic administrations, that, as difficult as it was, as challenging as it was, the possibility of two states living side by side in peace and security could marginalize more extreme elements, bring together folks at the center and with some common sense, and we could resolve what has been a vexing issue and one that is ultimately a threat to Israel as well.

And that possibility seems very dim. That may trigger, then, reactions by the Palestinians that, in turn, elicit counter-reactions by the Israelis, and that could end up leading to a downward spiral of relations that will be dangerous for everybody and bad for everybody.

So, bottom line, just to summarize here, number one, our military and intelligence cooperation with Israel will continue unabated, unaffected, and we are absolutely committed to making sure the Israeli people are safe, particularly from rocket attacks and terrorist attacks aimed on civilians.

Number two, that the evaluation that's taking place is specific to what happens between Israelis and Palestinians going forward. We'll continue to engage the Israeli government as well as the Palestinians, and ask them where they are interested in going and how do they see this issue being resolved.

But what we can't do is pretend that there's a possibility of something that's not there. And we can't continue to premise our public diplomacy based on something that everybody knows is not going to happen, at least in the next several years.

OBAMA: That is something that we have to -- for the sake of our own credibility, I think we have to be able to be honest about that.

And I guess one last point about this, because obviously I've heard a lot of the commentary. There's a tendency I think in the reporting here to frame this somehow as a personal issue between myself and president -- Prime Minister Netanyahu. And I understand why that's done, because when you frame it in those terms, the notion is, well, if you know, we all just get along and everybody cools down, then somehow the problem goes away.

I have a very businesslike relationship with the Prime Minister. I've met with him more than any other world leader. I talk to him all the time. You know, he is representing his country's interests the way he thinks he needs to, and I'm doing the same.

So the issue is not a matter of relations between leaders. The issue is a very clear, substantive challenge. We believe that two states is the best path forward for Israel's security, for Palestinian aspirations and for regional stability. That's our view and that continues to be our view.

And Prime Minister Netanyahu has a different approach. And so, this can't be reduced to a matter of somehow let's all, you know, hold hands and sing Kumbaya. This is a matter of figuring out how do we get through a real naughty policy difference that has great consequences for both countries and for the region. OK.

QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE) the U.S.?

OBAMA: We're going to do that evaluation. We're going to partly wait for an actual Israeli Government to form.

GHANI: Peace is our priority? Don't make premature judgments. And what we have asked from the United States, is that Obama has graciously supported it, is to support an Afghan-led and Afghan-led peace process and we are confident that this approach will bear the results in time. Peace is always difficult. And it requires focus, attention and sacrifice and that's what we are willing to do to bring it about.

QUESTION: Thank you very much, Mr. President.

I have got a question for Mr. Obama. You just mentioned that Afghanistan is still a dangerous place. While it's a dangerous place, is it the right decision to draw down the force labor at a time it's a dangerous place and, meanwhile, Afghan forces are less equipped and they cannot fight truly?

QUESTION: Mr. President, my question is, the question, the peace process, what was your initial or your request from the United States President?

GHANI: The United States has agreed with us that the peace process will be led by Afghans. And Afghans will be -- will continue this process and it will be led by Afghans. And this is obvious for (ph) us and we are thankful for the support.

OBAMA: Afghanistan is still a dangerous place. The way it's going to become less dangerous is by Afghan security forces and Afghan police being capable of keeping law and order and security in the country. And that is not going to happen if foreign forces are continually relied upon for the basic security of Afghanistan.

So, they are going to be specialized areas where we can cooperate -- dealing with some of the most vicious terror networks. There's going to be intelligence cooperation and counterterrorism cooperation. And there are going to be specialized areas where we can provide logistical support and training and enabling support.

But the fact is is, that unless Afghan soldiers and Afghan police are able to maintain security, at some point, some day, the United States and other coalition forces would leave. And the good news is what we've seen as we've removed ourselves from combat roles is the Afghan security forces have stepped up. And although they're certainly not as well-equipped as coalition forces, they're better equipped than the Taliban. They're better equipped than the Haqqani Network.

And so, with the kind of leadership that President Ghani is showing as a commander in chief, with the leadership that's being shown by a growing cadre of military officers up and down the military chain, you know, Afghan forces are proving themselves and discovering that, in fact, when they fight, they can be successful.

And we want to stand with them in that process because we are very much invested in your success.

So, Mr. President, thank you for an outstanding visit.

GHANI: Thank you, Mr. President. Thank you.

(END LIVE SPEECH)

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: The president of the United States, the president of Afghanistan, their first meeting since Ashraf Ghani became the president of Afghanistan in January, making an important announcement that the U.S. troop level in Afghanistan will remain at 9,800 U.S. military personnel in the country through the end of this year.

It was supposed to be cut in about in half by the end of this year, but they decided to slow that down, given what's going on, but, at the same time, the president making -- making it clear that the date for the complete withdrawal of U.S. troops, in his words, will not change. They're all supposed to be out by the end of 2016, early 2017.

Let's check in with Nick Paton Walsh. He's on the ground for us in Kabul, Afghanistan.

Nic, I assume this is basically what the Afghan leader, the new Afghan leader wanted to hear, right?

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I would imagine they could have perhaps hoped for a slightly larger presence here of U.S. troops, potentially even more than that. But, yes, this will certainly not leave those who returned to Kabul feeling empty- handed.

But, to some degree, Wolf, it's symbolic, certainly. It's certainly not going to open Obama to accusations that he continued regardless with this drawdown term, despite the security challenges here. But it's not a huge change. It's 4,300 more troops for a maximum of 12 months.

And they talk about how that phasing down to an embassy-only presence will be decided towards the end of this year. Well, perhaps he could knock that decision, that timeline on to the next administration towards the end of 2016. But it may well be as a result of Iraq, where the departure was so fast, that he's keen to show some sort of adjustment of policy here, but those 4,300 sticking around too may also allow for a little bit more here.

They're not all just trainers, like suggested. Some are logistics. Some are involved in counterterror, too. It will provide a bigger U.S. footprint here going forwards. But just look really at the tone of that meeting. It's remarkable to hear Barack Obama refer to Ashraf Ghani as a commander in chief the likes of which Afghanistan has not seen in the past, almost a barb, frankly, at his predecessor president, Karzai.

They refer to the change in relationship with Washington as night and day here in Kabul. Distinct how President Ghani, who was so clear to thank the U.S. for its sacrifice, to talk about the veterans' families, those who died, his -- families that he had met, the sacrifice America had made, and insists that going forwards that could result in genuine benefits here.

But he's a man standing there without a minister of defense. There are severe challenges here going forward. And I think that's reflected in the White House statement today. It's not a lot. It's perhaps enough to symbolically suggest the U.S. doesn't want to drop the ball here in Afghanistan, like it may have been accused of having dropped in Iraq as well.

But I think certainly there are many here deeply concerned about the months ahead, the security challenges arising, far from diminishing -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Nick, stand by -- Nick Paton Walsh on the ground for us in Kabul.

I want to go to Jerusalem right now, get reaction to what we also heard from President Obama on Israeli-U.S. relations.

Elise Labott is standing by in Jerusalem for us.

Two issues coming up in the news conference, as you heard, Elise, first, the reaction to this "Wall Street Journal" report that the Israelis were spying on the U.S. negotiations with Iran, other members of the U.N. Security Council, and Germany to get inside information, then potentially leaking that information to members of Congress to generate opposition to an emerging deal, and, secondly, the whole notion of whether or not the prime minister of Israel, when he now says he still believes in a two-state solution, Israel living alongside a new state of Palestine, is sincere, the president making it clear he doesn't necessarily believe that.

He's more inclined to believe what he heard on the eve of the election, when the prime minister said there wouldn't be a Palestinian state on his watch.

[15:25:04] Go ahead and give me your analysis of what we just heard, because, clearly, the tension there continues in this U.S.-Israeli relationship.

ELISE LABOTT, CNN FOREIGN AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Every time you think it can't get any worse, Wolf, it does.

On the spying allegations, clearly, the president didn't want to get into that. But he said, listen, the United States continues to brief the Israelis about this agreement, and if there was an agreement, that it would be open, it would be transparent. And he thinks that it would be a good agreement.

We have heard from member of Congress all day. And you have talked to some of them that say, listen, we never really learned anything from the Israelis that we didn't know from the administration or from something out there, so nobody putting a lot of stock in charges that Israel was spying on the United States. They talked to a lot of parties in the agreement.

And, yes, Wolf, they did have a lot of details about that agreement, but nothing that seemed to really pique anybody's attention. On the issue of Prime Minister Netanyahu, look, the president is saying, I do not buy what you are saying. He said, even if you accept his correction, with the suggestion that he did not -- there does not appear to be a prospect of a meaningful framework forward, and that's when he said he's required to reevaluate where the U.S. goes from here.

He doesn't want to completely -- he's basically saying that there are no prospects for peace right now, but he does not want the Palestinians to lose hope that there will be a state some day. And what does that mean? What is the U.S. going to do?

Well, talking to U.S. officials, that could mean that the U.S. does support something at the United Nations, a resolution that talks about a Palestinian state that kind of puts everybody on record and keeps hope alive for a day where conditions could be ripe, and then there would be some kind of framework on the ground.

Or Secretary Kerry, President Obama could put down their own plan, their own parameters of what they think a peace framework could be. Clearly, there will be talks with the Israelis in the days forward. I think that there's also a little bit of the president trying to get the upper hand from the prime minister right now after that speech, after his election victory, I think the president trying to put them more on an equal balance, the prime minister right now very much on the back foot with Washington, Wolf.

BLITZER: Yes, and the president, President Obama, saying he would announce that reevaluation, the results of where the U.S. moves on the peace process after -- after the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, forms his new coalition government. That could take several days, if not a few weeks.

I want to the play the clip from what the president said reacting to that "Wall Street Journal" report, front page of "The Wall Street Journal," report today suggesting that the Israelis were spying on the U.S. negotiations with Iran and other members of the Security Council. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OBAMA: As a general rule, I don't comment on intelligence matters in a big room full of reporters. And I think I will continue that tradition.

But with respect to the possibility of an agreement that ensures that Iran doesn't get a nuclear weapon, we have not just briefed Congress about the progress, or lack thereof, that's being made. But we also brief the Israelis and our other partners in the region and around the world.

And if, in fact, an agreement is arrived at that we feel confident will prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, it's going to be there for everybody to see.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: The president clearly making a case for an emerging agreement. Let's see if it happens. They have got another week or 10 days or so.

Elise, I want you to stand by.

Peter Bergen, our national security analyst, is also joining us.

First of all, let me get your reaction to what we just heard from the president, Peter, on the U.S.-Israeli relationship in the aftermath of this "Wall Street Journal" report and in the aftermath of what the prime minister said before the election and immediately after the election on whether or not he supports what's called a two-state solution.

PETER BERGEN, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: Well, clearly, President Obama doesn't believe that -- you know, he believes first statement that Netanyahu made, not the second statement.

He said very clearly that there's unlikely to be some kind of solution here for several years. And, I mean, Wolf, the only person that was more disliked in the White House than Benjamin Netanyahu is arguably Hamid Karzai, who was almost an unspoken presence in the press conference we just saw. You know, this was a very -- the mood music in this meeting between

President Ghani and President Obama was very, very warm and friendly. They talked about their mutual time at Columbia, the fact that President Obama's wife is a -- mother was an anthropologist, that President Ghani was -- is an anthropologist.