Your Excellency Mr. Hamid Karzai, President of Afghanistan,
Your Excellency Mr. Anders Fogh Rasmussen, Secretary General of NATO,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

I am pleased to be here alongside President Karzai and NATO Secretary General Rasmussen.

We have just had a successful meeting, culminating in the adoption of the Lisbon Declaration and the NATO-Afghanistan Partnership Agreement.

These are important steps forward that build on earlier conferences in London and Kabul, and on progress on the ground in Afghanistan.

Let me stress that the United Nations will continue to work closely with the Government and people of Afghanistan, with ISAF and with other partners.

We all share the same goals: stability, reconciliation, good governance, respect for human rights and harmonious relations between Afghanistan and its neighbours.

There have been obvious difficulties in recent months, but we remain united and committed.

We have defined a clear path for transition.

Afghan institutions have demonstrated that they can take on increasing leadership and responsibility. The United Nations will do its part to support the civilian aspects of this transition.

We also recognize that there can be no purely military solution. Afghanistan's stability and well-being depend on a genuine political dialogue amongst all Afghans aimed at resolving the conflict.

The Afghan-led search for a political solution has only entered its initial stage. The United Nations will support the process.

As we move ahead, we must be guided by realities, not schedules. Let us remember that Afghanistan has been at war for several decades.

The United Nations has been working in Afghanistan throughout this period, helping Afghans at every difficult moment of their country's history.

There are no short-cuts to peace. The United Nations is committed to supporting the Afghans over the long term.

I thank the leaders of NATO and ISAF for their commitment.

I pay tribute to all those soldiers and civilians, Afghan and international, who have given their lives in this effort.

The costs have been high, but the objective -- Afghanistan at peace -- remains necessary and just.

I look forward to continuing close collaboration with Afghanistan and its partners in the period ahead.

Now I will take your questions.