Obama and Karzai in show of unity to ease tensions

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama presented a united front with Afghan President Hamid Karzai on Wednesday in a bid to show their differences were behind them and they were on track to start bringing U.S. troops home next year.

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 at a pivotal time in the nine-year-old war.

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.

"I am confident we are going to be able to achieve our mission. There are going to be setbacks, there are going to be times when the Afghan government and the U.S. government disagree tactically but I think our overarching approach is unified," Obama told reporters.

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.

Injecting a cautionary note, Obama warned of "hard fighting" over the next several months as U.S.-led forces prepare to mount an offensive in the Taliban stronghold of Kandahar. The military push is awaiting completion of a 30,000-troop buildup Obama has ordered.

But he also said he was confident he will be able to fulfil his promise of beginning to withdraw U.S. forces in July 2011 as more security responsibilities are turned over to Afghan forces in the fight against Taliban insurgents.

"We have begun to reverse the momentum of the insurgency," Obama said, describing the allied advance as slow but steady. Still, bloody attacks by a resurgent Taliban remain a daily fixture in Afghanistan.

CHOREOGRAPHED OPTICS

U.S. officials, mindful that alienating Karzai would risk the support they need from Afghans to make Obama'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 and listened intently when the other spoke.

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 at ease than during earlier meetings.

Obama 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.

Seeking to ease Karzai's worries about the troop drawdown deadline, Obama reinforced his aides' promise that U.S. support will continue long after U.S. forces start pulling out.

"I have reaffirmed the commitment of the United States to an Afghanistan that is strong and prosperous," Obama said.

But many Afghans are bound to have doubts, recalling how the United States turned its back on them following the Soviet pullout from Afghanistan in 1989.

Both leaders, in their cautious choice of words, seemed determined to move past the recent rocky stretch in relations.

Obama even went as far as saying he was pleased with Karzai's progress -- a contradiction of the view expressed by top U.S. officials just weeks ago -- and preferred to talk about the need to do more for "good governance" instead of directly addressing the corruption issue.

Karzai, for his part, repeated none of his recent accusations that Western powers were trying to undermine him.

Karzai, whose ties with the Obama administration frayed after he won last year's fraud-stained Afghan election, acknowledged having had differences with Washington, but insisted, "The relationship is strong and has endured."

Despite the diplomatic niceties, Obama's aides had said he would make clear to Karzai behind closed doors that more needs to be done to tackle corruption.

Karzai's recent outbursts were seen as calculated in part to show the Afghan public he is no U.S. puppet.

Obama will also be playing to a war-weary domestic audience and lawmakers looking for assurances from Karzai before granting further funding for the Afghan campaign. The Democratic president wants to keep Afghanistan from becoming another drag on his party in November congressional elections.

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