WASHINGTON
Speaking to reporters in Washington, Panetta stressed that they had reached the end of a period in Afghanistan and that Afghanistan could now manage itself on its own.
Reminding that he visited Afghanistan in December, Panetta underlined that "thanks to sacrifices made for the past 11 years, Afghanistan became a country with which its citizens could be proud of. Afghanistan has become a country which will never become a shelter for terrorists."
Pointing out that coalition forces would leave Afghanistan in 2014, Panetta stressed that the United States would continue to support Afghanistan.
Karzai, in his part, said that "Afghanistan shortly will become a country which can protect its citizens and borders. Terrorists will no longer be able to threaten Afghanistan."
Karzai thanked all coalition countries, including the United States, for their support to Afghan security forces.
President Karzai will meet his U.S. counterpart Barack Obama on Friday.
