[Blitzer:] It was a remarkable speech, but not only for its setting when President Obama addressed the nation, indeed the world, from the Afghan war zone last night. The details of the new U.S. strategic partnership agreement with Afghanistan and the departure of U.S. and NATO forces by the end of 2014, but perhaps just as important as what the president did not say. Let's talk about that and more with Antony Blinken, the national security adviser to the Vice President Joe Biden. Tony, thanks very much for coming in. One thing the president did not discuss with the American people, how many billions, in the tens of billions, hundreds of billions this is going to cost the United States to maintain this connection with Afghanistan. What kind of money are we talking about?
[Antony Blinken, Biden National Security Adviser:] Well, Wolf, what we do know is that it will cost a lot less in what we're spending now to prosecute the war over the better part of the decade to do that. We don't know exactly what we're looking at, that remains to be decided and also we'll be looking to other countries, our NATO allies and our ISAF partners and countries around the world to also pick up their fair share. And indeed we'll be looking to the Afghan government, for example, supporting the Afghan security forces going forward. The Afghan government's committed half a billion on an annual basis to do that. But we don't know what our share will be and we don't know what other countries will be doing, but we do know it is going to be a lot, lot less than we're spending now in the war. Ending the war will result in very, very significant savings to what we are spending now.
[Blitzer:] Because right now the U.S. is spending about $2 billion a week maintaining about 90,000 troops in Afghanistan and that will continue or more less, tens of thousands of troops for another two and a half years. As far as 2014, any troops there in 2015 and beyond through 2024, will those American forces have immunity from Afghan prosecution?
[Blinken:] Well, first of all there's no decision about keeping any U.S. forces in Afghanistan beyond 2014. That remains to be decided by the president. It remains to be negotiated with the Afghans if that's something they want. And any mission beyond 2014 would be very narrowly focus and much, much smaller. We're just focused on advising and assisting the Afghans basically training them and counterterrorism. And if troops were to stay in Afghanistan after 2014, they would have to have the legal protections that troops have around the world.
[Blitzer:] Which would be immunity from Afghan prosecution, otherwise there would be no troops there. Assuming there will be troops there. I read the document very closely, the long U.S.-Afghan partnership agreement. One line jumped out at me. The United States further pledges not to use Afghan territory or facilities as a launching point for attacks against other countries. What does that mean? After 2015 if U.S. troops are there and they find out where the al Qaeda leader Ayman Al-Zawahari is hiding out in Pakistan, they could not launch an operation from inside Afghanistan and go after him?
[Blinken:] No, Wolf, as you said, it refers to other country, launching attacks against other countries and not against terrorists and not against terrorist groups. We would have that right indeed. If you look at the document, the basis for our cooperation with Afghanistan beyond 2014 among other very critical things would be dealing with terrorists and counterterrorism and that's what Afghanistan has pledged to cooperate.
[Blitzer:] So just to be precise, after 2014 the U.S. could launch drone strikes into Pakistan from Afghan territory and also launch the Navy SEAL teams from Afghanistan into Pakistan if they have evidence that al Qaeda operatives are there.
[Blinken:] Wolf, the reason we're in Afghanistan to begin with is al Qaeda. That's why we went and that's why we're able to end this war responsibly because we've been so successful in prosecuting the mission. But one thing is for sure, we don't want them to be able to come back and for that matter as we got them on the heels in Pakistan, we don't want them to regain momentum there, either. And anything we do beyond 2014 is to take appropriate action against al Qaeda and against any of its affiliates to make sure that it can't regroup and can't come back.
[Blitzer:] So the answer is presumably yes. They can go after al Qaeda in Pakistan, but when you say countries, they could not use Afghan territory to launch a strike into Iran, a neighbor of Afghanistan. Is that what you're saying?
[Blinken:] The president felt it was very important that we sent a number of very clear messages to the Afghan people, to the Taliban and to the neighbors and that is we're not looking to be in Afghanistan long-term, even after the war is over in terms of the military presence. We won't have permanent military bases and we won't use the country as a platform to attack other countries. It's important that the region understand that, so that they buy in to the efforts that everyone needs to make to stabilize Afghanistan and to help it get on its own two feet.
[Blitzer:] The Taliban, there was a reference that the president made to negotiations, to working a deal out with the Taliban. I'll play the clip. Listen to this.
[Barack Obama, President Of The United States Of America:] They've made it clear that they can be a part of this future if they break with al Qaeda, renounce violence and abide by Afghan laws.
[Blitzer:] Is there any indication, A, that the Taliban is ready to renounce violence or to accept Afghan laws, which allows little girls to go to schools?
[Blinken:] It's a work in progress, Wolf. The Afghans are engaged with some members of the Taliban. We've been trying to facilitate that. We've been having and continue to have our own conversations with the Taliban. We are seeing some signs that some in the Taliban want to reconcile. We also made it very clear exactly what the president said last night. There are red lines and there are conditions and they have to abide by the constitution. They have to renounce violence and they have to separate from al Qaeda. It's a work in progress, but it's an important work in progress and it will be an important part of ending this war responsibly.
[Blitzer:] When I spoke with Leon Panetta, the defense secretary in Brussels the other day. He said, I'm quoting him now, "You have to watch your back whenever you're dealing with Hamid Karzai, the Afghan president because he said some awful things about the United States and a lot of U.S. officials simply don't trust him. What do you say about Hamid Karzai living up to this deal?
[Blinken:] I would say that President Karzai has one of the toughest jobs in the world and we worked very closely and very hard with him in recent months to get this strategic partnership agreement concluded. It was 20 months of negotiation. There were agreements before we signed this partnership agreement on things like night raids and detentions all of which was tough, and I think we worked very well with him in getting those agreements. And the president clearly had a good day yesterday with President Karzai signing the strategic partnership agreement. He's our partner and he's the elected president of Afghanistan. We have a stake in his success and he has a stake in our success.
[Blitzer:] One final question on a totally unrelated matter. A lot of media reports coming out of Israel right now that they're mobilizing and activating reserve units, battalions of reservist to go to the Egyptian border with Israel, the Syrian border with Israel and a lot of what's going on. What can you tell us what's going on between Israel and Egypt on and Israel and Syria on the other?
[Blinken:] Wolf, I haven't seen those reports so I can't comment on them. I would say there have been problems as you know with the groups attacking Israel. And that's a problem that has to be dealt with. The Egyptians need to deal with it and we're working with both countries on that, but I haven't seen the reports you're referring to so I don't want to comment on them.
[Blitzer:] Yes, they're just moving in the last couple of hours, Israel television causing some alarm, I suspect in Israel right now. We're going to follow this story and get more as it develops. Tony Blinken, thanks very much for joining us.
[Blinken:] Wolf, thanks for having me.
[Blitzer:] New developments in an international saga. The blind Chinese dissident the center of an incredible escape speaking now to CNN about how it all went down. Standby for that interview. And Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal as a vice presidential hopeful? We'll discuss that and a lot more in our "Strategy Session."