Official: EU to keep Afghan presence beyond 2014

The European Union plans to provide assistance and development aid in Afghanistan beyond the complete handover of security responsibility to Afghans, scheduled for 2014, the EU's Afghanistan representative said on Tuesday.

"It is very important to reassure the Afghan people and the region that the European Union alongside the international community will retain its presence through political, developmental and training means beyond 2014," Vygaudas Usackas told reporters in Brussels, adding: "It is also of paramount importance to convey to the European public that we cannot afford the mistakes of the 1989 hands-off policy in Afghanistan and the region." (Reuters)