WASHINGTON-
President Barack Obama Tuesday signalled that he intends to leave a “small” U.S. troop presence in Afghanistan after the U.S. and NATO combat mission ends in December, and reminded the world of his “prudent limits” on drone strikes. He also renewed his threat to veto new sanctions on Iran, while urging Congress to provide the time and space the U.S. needs to continue ongoing nuclear negotiations with the Islamic republic. In his State of the Union address before a joint session of Congress, the president pledged to aggressively pursue terrorist networks “ ‘through more targeted efforts and by building the capacity of our foreign partners ‘ America must move off a permanent war footing.”
“That’s why I’ve imposed prudent limits on the use of drones “ for we will not be safer if people abroad believe we strike within their countries without regard for the consequence.
On Afghanistan, Obama said, “If the Afghan government signs a security agreement that we have negotiated, a small force of Americans could remain in Afghanistan with NATO allies.”
The president did not specify the size of the “small” force would be, but said they would carry out two “narrow” missions “ training and assisting Afghan forces, and counterterrorism operations to pursue “any remnants of al Qaeda.”
Obama said that Afghanistan would take responsibility for its own future after the end of the year.
He said any U.S. troops that remain beyond 2014 would only help continue to train Afghan forces and carry out counter terror operations against al-Qaeda and other extremists.
Obama made clear that the end of the war in Afghanistan does not mean an end to the threat of terrorism. “We have to remain vigilant, he said. But he also vowed to “not send our troops in to harm in the way unless it’s truly necessary; nor will I allow our sons and daughters to be mired in open-ended conflicts.”
Negotiations to limit Iran’s nuclear programme will be difficult and may not succeed, the president said.
“These negotiations do not rely on trust,” Obama said. “Any long-term deal we agree to must be based on verifiable action that convinces us and the international community that Iran is not building a nuclear bomb. If John F.
Kennedy and Ronald Reagan could negotiate with the Soviet Union, then surely astrong and confident America can negotiate with less powerful adversaries today.”
On other challenges, he said, “While we have put Al Qaeda’s core leadership on a path to defeat, the threat has evolved as Al Qaeda affiliates and other extremists take root in different parts of the world. In Yemen, Somalia, Iraq and Mali, we have to keep working with partners to disrupt and disable these networks.”
In Syria, he said, “We’ll support the opposition that rejects the agenda of terrorist networks.” And, he vowed: “With the Afghan war ending, this needs to be the year Congress lifts the remaining restrictions on detainee transfers and we close the prison at Guantanamo Bay “ because we counter terrorism not just through intelligence and military action, but by remaining true to our constitutional ideals, and setting an example for the rest of the world.”
-APP