John Kerry

A strong, stable, democratic Pakistan must be a key partner for the United States, and an ally in the fight against violent extremism.

The duration of our military presence will be limited, but our civilian commitment must continue even as our troops begin coming home.

For my part, I remain skeptical about sending more troops to Afghanistan.

I am happy to supply whatever support these valuable civilians need. And we need more of them.

Accomplishing this mission and ensuring the safety of the American people will not be easy.

We face a range of difficult choices, but the President's plan represents the best way we know to protect our Nation today and in the future.

You left us before. Will you do it again? You walked away, you left us holding the problem that you helped to create.

The case for action against al-Qaeda and its allies has always been clear, but the United States course of action over the last 8 years has not.

The deployment of a single additional soldier makes all the difference, but a public debate that reduces a difficult mission in a complex region to a simple headline-ready number of troops does us all a disservice.

Unless we are able to build and transfer leadership to local Afghans, unless the governance and development pieces are in place, we risk squandering the gains, time and time again.

The Afghans must step up to the plate and do the things necessary that will allow them to take primary responsibility for defending their own country.

Our relationship is anchored in our common goals of civilian rule; robust economic development; and the defeat of those who threaten Pakistan, Afghanistan, and the peace of the world.

I would hope that, just as the exit strategy is based on the conditions on the ground, so too should our strategy for any escalation be based on conditions on the ground.

I believe it is important for the Pakistanis to understand that our commitment to them and to the region is long term even as troops are reduced in Afghanistan.

July 2011, the time at which the President said the United States will begin to drawdown our forces, will be the beginning of a process.

It was extremely important to have the Enhanced Partnership with Pakistan Act--sponsored by Chairman Kerry, Senator Lugar, and Chairman Berman--pass with bipartisan and bicameral support.

Frankly, 8 years later, that's simply not good enough. We have largely expelled al-Qaeda from Afghanistan.

Whether you agree with what we are doing or not, there should be no doubting, at home or abroad, this President's commitment to the success of this mission.

Simply put, among a range of difficult choices, this is the best way to protect our Nation now and in the future.

We intend to be committed over the long term.

We will work with the Afghan and Pakistani Governments to eliminate safe havens for those plotting against us, our allies, and our interests.

The President was right to frame our commitment to Afghanistan in the context of all of our national priorities.

The President was correct to define success in terms of our ability to empower and transfer responsibility to Afghans as rapidly as possible.

I believe the President exercised important leadership by taking the time he needed to make the right decision.

Thank you very much for joining us. And we appreciate your coming to share more details about the President's plan.