British Prime Minister Affirms Commitment To Afghanistan | WPN World People News

In an interview with NPR this morning, as diplomats from donor countries gather for a major international conference in Kabul, David Cameron, the prime minister of the United Kingdom, reaffirmed his commitment to the ongoing war in Afghanistan.

Cameron said three recent developments have made him more-optimistic about the situation there: the so-called surge of U.S. forces in Southern Afghanistan, commitments to increase aid on the ground, and greater political engagement in many parts of the country.

"That matters too, because — in the end — insurgencies are defeated by a combination of force-of-arms, but also political change," he told NPR's Renee Montagne.

Cameron said he wants Afghanistan to be able to "control its own security, to keep it free from terrorist training camps, and that has a basic level of stability."

During his visit to the U.S., Cameron will meet with President Obama, members of congress, and business leaders in New York City. He arrived here yesterday, having flown on a commercial airliner because of economic austerity measures imposed by his government.

As we reported yesterday, the specter of BP has dogged him on his trip, and in all likelihood, he will field questions about the company from congressmen later today.

Many Brits are worried about the financial viability of BP, and Americans are upset about the disaster in the Gulf of Mexico and new allegations that Scotland released Abdel Basset Ali al-Megrahi, one of the terrorists involved in the attack on Pan Am Flight 103, to help BP secure a drilling deal in Libya, al-Megrahi's home country.

"I agree that the decision to release al-Megrahi was wrong," he said. "I said it was wrong at the time."

Source: NPR News