Afghan President Ashraf Ghani offered deep thanks Monday to US troops for more than a decade of sacrifice, at the start of a visit aimed at turning the page on past strained US ties. "We do not now ask what the United States can do for us," said Ghani, turning around a famous phrase by former president John F. Kennedy, on his first official trip to the United States as Afghan president.
"We want to say what Afghanistan will do for itself and for the world. And that means we are going to put our house in order," he told soldiers and top US officials at a Pentagon ceremony.
Afghanistan would always appreciate the contributions of the more than 850,000 troops who have deployed to Afghanistan since the attacks of September 11, 2001, Ghani vowed, repeating his thanks on several occasions.
The talks then moved to the remote, wooded presidential retreat of Camp David in Maryland, with the delegations flying in by helicopter to the sprawling site far from prying eyes. Secretary of State John Kerry said the delegations from the two countries would "spend a quiet, thoughtful day in an atmosphere of open discussion in order to talk about the remarkable transition that is taking place in Afghanistan."
In a series of meetings also joined by Defence Secretary Ash Carter and Treasury Secretary Jack Lew, the US was seeking to forge a path forward for relations after years of distrust sown under former Afghan president Hamid Karzai. Ghani promised his government would not "be a burden" to the international community and would put its "house in order."
"Our message is one that it's time for Afghanistan to reciprocate the gift that the United States has so generously provided over the years," said Ghani, a Western-educated economist who used to work for the World Bank.
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