Obama, Karzai in show of unity to ease tensions

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama and Afghan President Hamid Karzai presented a united front on Wednesday in a bid to show they had patched over differences at a pivotal time in the nearly nine-year-old war.

The Obama administration, backing away from a publicly tough approach to Karzai widely believed to have backfired, gave the Afghan leader the red-carpet treatment in the culmination of a four-day visit seen as crucial to shoring up the U.S.-led war effort.

The White House talks were meant not only to reassure the Afghan leader of a long-term U.S. commitment to his government but also to convince a sceptical American public and Congress that the war is worth fighting and funding.

Standing side by side with Karzai, Obama played down strains in relations in recent months marked by Washington's open criticism of Karzai for tolerating corruption and the Afghan leader's angry rebukes against his Western allies.

"This is a reaffirmation of the friendship between the American people and the Afghan people," Obama told reporters, saying he was "more convinced than ever" they could achieve success together in stabilizing Afghanistan.

He said the recent perception of tensions between their governments was "simply overstated" but acknowledged there would be occasional disagreements over tactics.

While U.S. concerns about corruption have not faded and questions remain whether Karzai can be a reliable partner, the Obama administration is now making a concerted effort to handle such matters in private and treat the Afghan president with more respect in public.

U.S. officials, mindful that alienating Karzai would risk the support they need from Afghans to make the U.S. war strategy work, choreographed the optics of his visit to help restore trust and boost Karzai's stature.

The joint news conference was an honour usually reserved for the most important U.S. allies. Standing at matching lecterns, each turned to face the other when it was the other's turn to speak.

They smiled occasionally but were more businesslike than the chummier encounters between Karzai and Obama's predecessor, George W. Bush. The two men, however, looked more comfortable together than during other face-to-face meetings.

Karzai's visit comes as the U.S. military gears up to complete a troop build-up in Afghanistan in a bid to beat back a resurgent Taliban, stabilise the country and then fulfil Obama's pledge to start bringing troops home in July 2011.

Obama said he was confident that Washington could hold to that timetable and that U.S.-led forces had begun to reverse the momentum of the insurgency in Afghanistan.

He also said the United States backed Karzai's efforts to open the door to Taliban members who renounced violence and links to al Qaeda, and promised that U.S. forces would do everything possible to avoid further civilian casualties.

(Additional reporting by Sue Pleming, Ross Colvin and Steve Holland; editing by Mohammad Zargham)