NATO defense ministers' meeting fails to procure troops for Afghanistan

www.chinaview.cn 2008-02-07 23:48:26

VILNIUS, Feb. 7 (Xinhua) --

No NATO ally has come forward to pledge additional troops to southern Afghanistan at a meeting of NATO defense ministers, a NATO official said Thursday.

On the first day of their informal meeting, the NATO defense ministers focused their attention on NATO-led missions in Afghanistan and Kosovo.

Asked whether any NATO ally has answered Washington's call for combat troops in Afghanistan's volatile south, NATO spokesman James Appathurai said the meeting was not aimed at generating forces.

"It was not a force generation meeting and the ministers were not expected to (generate forces). We did not expect ministers to come to the table with force packages," Appathurai told reporters.

He said, however, there were discussions over burden sharing and risk sharing among the allies.

Currently all 26 NATO allies have troops in Afghanistan. But the majority of them are doing reconstruction and training tasks in the relatively calm regions, leaving only four allies – United States, Canada, Britain and the Netherlands -- in the south to bear the brunt of Taliban (resistance).

In mid January, the Pentagon announced the temporary deployment of 3,200 Marines in Afghanistan for six months -- 2,200 of them for combat activities in the south, after Washington's calls for more European troops had fallen on deaf ears.

U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates last week wrote to each and every defense minister of the other 25 NATO countries, asking them to commit troops to at least refill the gap to be left by the withdrawal of the U.S. Marines in autumn.

But it appears unlikely that the European allies will come up with the troops needed as their own forces are already stretched by missions elsewhere -- in Iraq, Kosovo, Lebanon and Africa.

On Wednesday, Germany announced that it will send 250 additional troops to Afghanistan. But the deployment will be in the north, to replace Norwegian troops.

Canada, with 2,500 troops fighting in the southern province of Kandahar, has threatened to pull out its forces after their mandate expires in early 2009 unless other allies will provide 1,000 soldiers plus resources.

Canadian Defense Minister Peter Gordon MacKay on Thursday explained to his colleagues the difficulties his government is facing as well as the conditions to be met for an extension of the Canadian troops, said Appathurai.

MacKay was also in bilateral discussions on this issue, he said.

Appathurai said there was a unanimous view among NATO defense ministers that Afghanistan will be a long-term commitment.

The ministers also voiced their opinion that the broader international community needs to do more in Afghanistan.

"We do need to move away from the conception that Afghanistan is NATO's problem and NATO's problem alone," said Appathurai.

The ministers are scheduled to hold discussions on Friday with non-NATO troop contributors in Afghanistan and key international players, such as the European Union and the World Bank.

U.S., Britain foreign secretaries call for more support to Afghanistan

www.chinaview.cn 2008-02-08 05:24:52

KABUL, Feb. 7 (Xinhua) --

Visiting U.S. Secretary of States Condoleezza Rice and her British counterpart David Miliband call on Thursday for more international support to Afghanistan.

"I hope there will be more troop contributions and there needs to be more Afghan forces," Rice told newsmen at a joint press conference with Miliband and President Hamid Karzai.

She also hailed the progress Afghanistan had made over the past six years since the fall of the Taliban regime in late 2001 by a U.S.-led military alliance operation.

However, she admitted that Taliban and al-Qaida network are still a challenge to the security forces in the post-Taliban nation.

Rice also expressed satisfaction over the progress made in Afghanistan over the past six years and adding the country now has roads, health services and schools. She also added that Afghanistan needs a long time to go as it was coming out of 25years of war.

"Could we all expect that the security situation would still be difficult? Yes, because Afghanistan has determined enemies who laid waste in this country over the period of more than a decade," Rice stressed.

Speaking on the occasion, British Foreign Secretary reassured London's long-term support to the war-torn country. "I come here to recommit the British government to work with you against the danger of terrorism and to serve the mutual responsibilities to each others," Miliband noted at the press conference.

He also noted that Britain would work with the Afghan government against the shared enemies that we have.

Both the top diplomats of the Untied States and the United Kingdom, who visited Kandahar, the birthplace of Taliban outfit, talked to NATO soldiers there in morning, jointly called on President Hamid Karzai and exchanged views on the situation in Afghanistan and NATO's role in stabilizing security there.

Their visit took place amid increasing military and appearing rift among NATO member states as Canada announced recently not to extend its troops mission unless the military alliance contribute more troops.

President Hamid Karzai for his part thanked all the nations that have troops in Afghanistan but added, "More contribution will be welcomed."

He also described Britain as the second largest troop contributor in Afghanistan after the United States and said, "We appreciate British role in Afghanistan and we respect it."

Pentagon Chief Robert Gates who announced deploying additional3,000 troops to Afghanistan last month had requested NATO member states to contribute more troops to Afghanistan.

Germany which has more than 3,100 troops currently in Afghanistan's peaceful northern provinces blatantly rejected Pentagon's request to deploy troops in Afghanistan's troubled southern region where Taliban insurgents are active.

More than 55,000 troops from NATO and the U.S.-led Coalition forces have been stationed in Afghanistan to hunt down Taliban insurgents and stabilize security in the post-Taliban central Asian state.

Editor: Mu Xuequan

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