US to help Afghan to reduce corruption

US Defense Secretary Robert Gates says the United States will do its part to reduce corruption in Afghanistan. He says the US can exert the most pressure when it is financing various projects.

Robert Gates said, "...the place for us to start is to deal with corruption that may be associated with contracts we're letting or work that we're having done and development projects that we're undertaking in partnership with others, including with the Afghans."

Gates was speaking at the historic military fort carved into Halifax's Citadel Hill, just prior to the start of the first Halifax International Security Forum. Standing with Canadian Defense Minister Peter MacKay, Gates said the US military is planning for the eventual withdrawal of Dutch and Canadian troops, set for 2010 and 2011 respectively.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai has promised to do more to end the country's rampant corruption. But the newly re-elected leader has pointed out that the flood of development cash into his country over the past eight years has led to some of the graft.

U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates in Oxon Hill, Maryland  November 19, 2009. The United States must tighten control of  Afghan development contracts as a first step toward stemming  rampant corruption, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said on Friday.  REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque/Files