NATO Chief: No Victory In Afghanistan = Terror Attacks In Europe, USA
The Nato secretary-general today warned that failure to bring peace to Afghanistan would result in further terror attacks on Western cities, as David Miliband and Condoleezza Rice began a surprise visit to the country.
Speaking ahead of a Nato meeting in Lithuania, Jaap de Hoop Scheffer urged member states to pledge more resources to help train the Afghan army.
“This is the front-line in the fight against terrorism, and what is happening in the Hindu Kush matters, because if terrorism is not dealt with in Afghanistan, the consequences will be felt not just in Afghanistan and the region, but also in London, Brussels, and Amsterdam,” he told the BBC.
There is real frustration in London and Washington at the unwillingness of countries such as Germany, Italy and Spain to deploy troops in the battle-torn south, where forces face a resurgent Taliban.
The issue is expected to dominate discussions at the meeting of Nato foreign ministers this week.
Mr Miliband, the Foreign Secretary, arrived in Afghanistan with Miss Rice, the US Secretary of State, this morning, for a visit aimed at reassuring Afghan president Hamid Karzai that the country remains one of Nato’s key priorities.
They are due to meet senior military and civilian leaders, to discuss how Afghanistan can build up its own forces.
It is also thought they will discuss the appointment of a lead co-ordinator for international civilian and military operations.
Related: Nato At Crossroads
The Nato mission in Afghanistan could fail unless there is greater commitment from member countries, a meeting of the alliance will be told today.
The conference in the Lithuanian capital, Vilnius, comes amid bitter divisions among the 26 Nato allies over troop commitments, and follows accusations by the US that other countries are not pulling their weight.
The US Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice, making a brief visit to London yesterday, said it was essential that Nato demonstrated its long-term commitment to Afghanistan, adding: “We obviously need to share the burden in the alliance so everybody is contributing.”
Ms Rice admitted that the Afghan mission was proving far harder than anticipated and had evolved from a peacekeeping role into a full-blown counter-insurgency battle. “The alliance is facing a real test here and it is a test of the alliance’s strength,” she said. “But we should not underestimate the transformation that Nato itself has gone through in really learning how to fight this fight.”
Ms Rice said Nato was facing a “real test” because some countries were staying out of more dangerous areas such as the province of Helmand, where British and Canadian forces are fighting a resurgent Taliban.
Newspaper reports in France have suggested that 700 of its paratroopers could be sent to the south. Last week, Belgium agreed to send four F-16 fighter jets to Kandahar. Germany is deploying about 200 troops to a quick-reaction force in the peaceful north.
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