The White House on Thursday released a statement again urging the international community to continue to support the U.S.-led efforts in Afghanistan. The statement, released by the White House press office while U.S. President George W. Bush and First Lady Laura Bush were in Italy, also came as the First Lady addressed the Afghanistan Support Conference to “reiterate President Bush's support of a strong international partnership committed to Afghanistan's recovery.” In an effort to garner continued global support for the United States' efforts in Afghanistan, which began in 2001 as part of the “Global War on Terror,” the White House said that “this young democracy has made tremendous progress, but it still needs the full support of the international community.” “Since 2001, the international community has worked to promote peace, stability, and reconstruction in Afghanistan. At the Afghanistan Support Conference, [Afghan] President Hamid Karzai presented his strategic plan to achieve long-term capacity development, sustained poverty reduction, and stable democratic governance in Afghanistan, with assistance from donor nations.” Along with urging the United States' global allies to lend their support to Afghanistan, the White House statement said the United States has pledged $10.2 billion dollars to “provide additional funding for Afghanistan to further our shared goals of advancing democracy.” This pledge surpasses the $5.9 billion the United States pledged in London in 2006, the statement said.
