The president said the U.S. mission in Afghanistan will change from combat to support, as Afghans assume responsibility for their nation’s security.  Mr. Obama said that transition will be complete by 2014.

He also announced that NATO will hold a summit in his home city of Chicago next May, to plan the next phase of Afghanistan’s transition.

In the meantime, Mr. Obama said the U.S. will support peace talks that include the Afghan government and the Taliban, and that there is reason to believe that progress can be made.

In addition, he said his administration will press Pakistan for greater cooperation in the fight against violent extemists.

Mr. Obama said his overall goal is to leave Afghanistan without a safe haven from which al-Qaida or its affiliates can attack the U.S. or its allies. “We will not try to make Afghanistan a perfect place.  We will not police its streets or patrol its mountains indefinitely," he said.

The president promised the American people that the long wars in Afghanistan and Iraq would come to what he called a responsible end.

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