Obama to meet Afghan President Karzai on Friday: White House

Afghan President Hamid Karzai speaks during a joint news conference with U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta at the Presidential Palace in Kabul December 13, 2012.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama is slated to meet Afghan President Hamid Karzai on Friday, the White House said in a statement, a meeting that comes as the United States tries to determine how quickly to draw down troops in Afghanistan after more than a dozen years of war.

In 2014, the Afghan army and police will take over the country's security as U.S. combat forces withdraw. The two countries are trying to hammer out a deal on the nature of any U.S. troop presence after 2014.

"President Obama looks forward to welcoming the Afghan delegation to Washington, and discussing our continued transition in Afghanistan, and our shared vision of an enduring partnership between the United States and Afghanistan," the White House said.

(Reporting by Roberta Rampton and Mark Felsenthal; Editing by Eric Walsh)