Afghan Leader Outlines Plan as Aid Pledged Anew

Karzai told delegates that the amount of land in Afghanistan being used for poppy cultivation has decreased by 21 percent in the past year. "We are determined to take further steps to completely eliminate this menace," he said. "We expect the international community to cooperate with us realistically, not only to help us root out narcotics, but to do so without causing undue economic hardship and instability."

The United States has focused its anti-drug campaign in Afghanistan on a program known as "alternative livelihoods," which is designed to give farmers other ways to earn a living. The campaign has included distribution of free wheat seed and fertilizer, as well as the construction of new roads designed to help farmers get their crops to market.

On security, the compact calls for establishment of a "nationally respected, professional, ethnically balanced Afghan National Army" by the end of 2010, with a goal of 70,000 troops. It also calls for establishing national and border police forces with a combined membership of 62,000 officers in the next five years.

More than 200 U.S. service members have been killed in Afghanistan since the American military invaded in 2001 and toppled the Taliban. About half those deaths occurred last year.

The United States has announced that it intends to reduce its troop presence in Afghanistan in the coming months, from about 19,000 to about 16,500, as NATO forces assume a greater role. The NATO alliance, meanwhile, will increase its numbers from the current 9,000 to 15,000. Next summer, an international force led by NATO is due to take control of the country's volatile southern region.

The compact also calls for improvements in roads, airports and access to fresh water. It sets a target for 65 percent of urban households and 25 percent of rural households to have electricity by the end of 2010. It calls for basic health services to be available to 90 percent of the population in the same time frame.

Among ordinary Afghans, there was little awareness Tuesday that the conference was taking place.

Khalilullah, 26, a Kabul resident who, like many Afghans, uses only one name, said he has given up on the idea that increased economic aid to Afghanistan will make his life better. He operates a stand selling fast foods, which are increasingly popular among Kabul residents. He said he makes about $9 a day when business is especially good, and goes home empty-pocketed when it isn't.

"Nothing will change," he said. "I'll still be out here, selling burgers and french fries."

Witte reported from Kabul. Staff writer Glenn Kessler in Washington contributed to this report.