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They declared in a communique that while NATO will maintain asignificant presence in Afghanistan after 2014, "this will not be acombat mission." Harper described Canada's contribution as generous, saying it wasdesigned to set an example for other nations to follow. It is estimated that it will cost $4.1 billion a year forAfghanistan to run its security forces once the NATO-led coalitionpulls out in 2014. Canada had been asked to consider leaving some soldiers inAfghanistan post-2014 to continue to help with training, but Harpersaid the deadline is firm. He said it is not an abandonment of Afghanistan but a transfer ofresponsibility to the Afghans. The coalition of 50 NATO members and allies declared an"irreversible transition" that will put Afghan forces in the leadof the combat mission by the middle of next year. Even in a backup role, though, the U.S. forces and all the restwill still face combat and attacks until the war's end. In essence, the partners, led by Obama, are staying the course,sticking with a timeline long established and underscoring thatthere will be no second-guessing the decision to leave. Since 2010, they have been planning to finish the war at the end of2014, even as moves by nations such as France to pull combat troopsout early has tested the strength of the coalition. NATO 'will not desert' Afghans, Cameron says The shift to have Afghan forces take the lead of the combat missionnext year has also been expected. Leaders presented it as asignificant turning point in the war. It will be "the moment when throughout Afghanistan people can lookout and see their own troops and police stepping up to thechallenge," said the NATO chief, Secretary General Anders FoghRasmussen. It is time, Obama said, to "responsibly bring this warto an end." British Prime Minister David Cameron said the leaders were "makinga decisive and enduring commitment to the long-term future ofAfghanistan. "The message to the Afghan people is that we will not desert them.And the message to the insurgency is equally clear: You cannot winon the battlefield. You should stop fighting and start talking,"Cameron said. The political stakes are high for the U.S. president, who will gobefore voters in November with tens of thousands more troops inAfghanistan than when we took office. His emphasis will remain thathe is methodically winding down the war, after closing out the onein Iraq; U.S. voters desperate for better economic times have longstopped approving of the war mission. The war dominated the summit, with the uneasy presence and ongoingtension with Pakistan eroding some of the choreographed unity. Obama had no official talks with Pakistani President Asif AliZardari, although the two chatted briefly along with AfghanPresident Hamid Karzai. Deep conflicts remained over Pakistan'sclosure of key transit routes that NATO needs to support troops inAfghanistan and to get those troops out. The fighting alliance called negotiation the key to ending theinsurgency in Afghanistan, but avoided mentioning the Taliban byname. The insurgents walked away from U.S.-led talks in March, andurged the NATO nations to follow the lead of France in pledging toremove combat forces ahead of schedule. With files from The Canadian Press. The e-commerce company in China offers quality products such as OPTOMA Projector Lamp Manufacturer , China TV Projection Lamps, and more. For more , please visit Projector Lamp Bulb today!
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