KABUL - Afghan President Hamid Karzai said he will announce the promised "massive changes" to his government on Saturday or Sunday, on the back of state visits from both Britain and Pakistan on Thursday.
In a press conference with UK Prime Minster David Cameron, Karzai stressed that the changes to his government would happen soon.
"As I said in my meeting with all government bodies, I will bring massive changes to the government and the process will start by issuing an order on Saturday or Sunday," he said Thursday in Kabul.
Karzai has been under pressure to take action since the Tokyo conference in early July. The international community pledged to give $16 billion in aid on the condition that Afghanistan does more in terms of better governance and the fight against corruption.
Cameron, meanwhile, talked at the briefing about the regional security situation and the need for Afghanistan's "rescue" from the Taliban.
"I want to point out to the President Karzai and Pakistan's Prime Minister that the insurgents are trying to destabilize both Afghanistan and Pakistan. This is a fight which all of us are involved in. We need to rescue Afghanistan from Taliban, Talibanism, and insurgency, and we should do the same in Pakistan as well as it faces a major threat from the insurgents. We need to win the war on terror," he said.
Cameron took the opportunity to announce that the UK would be funding a military officer's training academy in Afghanistan beyond 2014 as its contribution towards security in the country.
He also said his country would support Afghanistan's Independent Election Commission, and stressed that the process of the election should be led by Afghanistan.
The pair met with Pakistani Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf and discussed security matters while reaffirming their "common vision" to advance regional peace and stability, the Afghan Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a released statement.
"The three leaders expressed their satisfaction with the transition process in Afghanistan and reiterated that an independent, peaceful, self-reliant and democratic Afghanistan was necessary for the stability of the region and the international community," the statement said.
The leaders also agreed that regional prosperity needs economic development through trade and investment, and economic integration.
Karzai stressed the importance of a political solution to end the conflict in Afghanistan, which was supported by the British and Pakistani leaders. (Tolo News)