In an interview with RFE/RL, North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)
secretary general Anders Fogh Rasmussen said that he expected concrete results
from this week's London conference on Afghanistan.
Speaking to RFE/RL correspondent Abubakar Siddique, Rasmussen also said that
the NATO mission in Afghanistan was not an "occupation force". "We will stay as
long as it takes to
finish our job, but our ultimate goal is to hand over responsibility to the
Afghan people," he said.
RFE/RL: The Afghan government is expected to present a detailed
plan for reconciliation with the Taliban in London. Previous plans have failed
to win international backing due to a lack of resources and political backing.
Is there any reason to believe the situation is any different today?
Anders Fogh Rasmussen: Yes, I think the situation will be very
different, firstly, because there is now political support, and secondly,
because I would expect the international community to provide funds for a
reconciliation-and-reintegration effort. Having said that, I also need to
stress that this reconciliation-and-reintegration process must be led by the
Afghan government and I take it for granted that the groups involved in that
will accept and abide by the Afghan constitution and democracy.
RFE/RL: Is anyone in the Western coalition really talking to
authoritative figures among the Taliban in Afghanistan in the run-up to the
London conference? What have they indicated?
AFR: No, as I said before, it is crucial that a
reconciliation-and-reintegration process is led by the Afghan government. We
will and we can, of course, assist if the Afghan government so wishes. But I
think it is crucial that there is an Afghan ownership to this process.
RFE/RL: Why would the Taliban buy into reconciliation while they
claim to be winning the war?
AFR: Well, they will not win. We will prevail. They will not
regain power in Afghanistan, first of all, because the Afghan people want
freedom and democracy, they don't want the Taliban back, and secondly, because
we have made very important decisions on the way ahead. We have increased the
number of troops significantly. We will develop the capacity of the Afghan
security forces. We will train Afghan soldiers and Afghan police and,
gradually, Afghan soldiers and Afghan police will take over the responsibility
for the security. And finally, the international community will provide more
funds for development in Afghanistan and, in that respect, the Afghan
government has also committed itself to a strengthened fight against corruption
and the drug trade and, in general, committed itself to deliver better
governance. So, for all these reasons, we will see new momentum and new
progress in Afghanistan in 2010.
RFE/RL: Related to this topic, in an interview, General Stanley
McChrystal [US military chief in Afghanistan] said that he believed any Afghan
could potentially play a role in the future government of their country, if
they focused on the future. Do you share his opinion? If leading Taliban are
going to be brought into the government, is the definition of victory shifting
in Afghanistan? How would you define victory in that country?
AFR: Well, I will speak about success, and success will be to
hand over responsibility for security to the Afghan people, to the Afghan
security forces. The ultimate goal should be that the Afghan people become
masters in their own house and take responsibility for running and securing
[their] own country.
We are there right now to protect the Afghan people. We are there to assist
[them] in developing a stable society and a stable democracy. And I can assure
you that we will stay committed as long as it takes to finish our job. NATO and
ISAF [International Security Assistance Force] is not an occupation force. We
will stay as long as it takes to finish our job, but our ultimate goal is to
hand over responsibility to the Afghan people.
RFE/RL: Mr secretary general, shifting gears to another issue,
media reports suggest that NATO is planning to create a top civilian post in
Afghanistan. Why do you think it is needed and how will it affect the pace of
reconstruction in the country given that NATO has had a senior civil
representative in Kabul for years?
AFR: And that is exactly the point. We have already a civilian
representative in Kabul. However, we do believe that there is a strong need for
better organization and better coordination of the civilian assistance to
Afghanistan. We would also like to improve our capability to cooperate with the
Afghan government and with other international actors in Kabul. There is also a
strong need for better coordination among the so-called provincial
reconstruction teams that work locally in Afghanistan. And to that end, we need
an enhanced office of our civilian representative. So we will ensure an
enhanced office, and I will also, in the near future, appoint a new civilian
NATO representative in Kabul.
RFE/RL: On the issue of training Afghan forces, while Western
allies are pushing Afghan security forces to rapidly expand in number in order
to take over security responsibilities, many Afghans do not feel enough is
being done to equip the country with modern weaponry. Assuming NATO troops
will, sooner or later, be leaving Afghanistan, what kind of military
infrastructure do you envision leaving behind? Will NATO continue to provide
air support for the foreseeable future?
AFR: All this will very much depend on the development in
Afghanistan. As I said, our goal is to hand over the lead responsibility for
security to the Afghan security forces, and therefore we will now train and
educate Afghan soldiers and Afghan police. And we appreciate very much that the
Afghan government has decided to increase the number of security forces to a
level of around 300,000 by 2011. And of course we will ensure that the Afghan
security forces are appropriately equipped. How this will take place in details
will of course very much depend on the security challenges in the coming
years."
RFE/RL: Continuing with the security theme, considering the
presence of some questionable characters, including warlords and other
powerbrokers, within the government, what challenges does arming Afghans and
providing them with military training present?
AFR: Well, we know from experience that the Afghan security
forces actually do a great job. The fact is that the Afghan security forces are
in the lead of two-thirds of the planned military operations in Afghanistan and
this fact testifies to the capacity and determination of the Afghan security
forces. Afghan soldiers are good fighters and I don't think there's any reason
to believe that they will not support the Afghan government and the Afghan
democracy, because at the end of the day, it is also a support of the Afghan
people.
RFE/RL: Moving on to a larger strategic question, everybody
involved in the Afghan struggle has used President Barack Obama's
troop-withdrawal deadline to advance their interests. The Afghan Taliban are
clearly holding out. Sensing a loss of foreign forces, the Afghan government is
trying to hold onto its power and gains while the Pakistani military is using
it as a reason for not going after Afghan Taliban sanctuaries. Given that all
this is not conducive to a peaceful resolution in Afghanistan, should Obama
rethink his talk about deadlines?
AFR: But, actually, President Obama has not spoken about an exit
from Afghanistan. What he has announced is an evaluation of our mission by
2011, which I think is reasonable. I mean, we have just decided to increase the
number of troops significantly, and we do hope to see substantial progress in
the coming 12 to 18 months. So in my opinion, it makes sense to take stock of
the situation by mid-2011.
But President Obama has not spoken about a withdrawal from Afghanistan. As I
said before, we will stay as long as it takes to secure the country. I can
assure you that the international coalition will not leave Afghanistan until
the country is able to stand on its own feet. [They] will not be left behind.
So 2011 will be an important year to take stock of the situation, but it will
be a condition-based approach. Hopefully the situation will allow us gradually
transfer security responsibility to the Afghan security forces. But it will be
based on the condition that Afghan soldiers and Afghan police are really
capable to take care of their security."
RFE/RL: One brief question at the end, Mr secretary general. What
concrete commitments and specific goals are you looking to walk away from
London with?
AFR: Well, I would like and I also expect two concrete results
from the London conference. Firstly, that we agree on the overall framework for
a transition to lead Afghan responsibility for the security. We have to make
sure that the transition for responsibility to the Afghan security forces takes
place in a coordinated manner. And I think we will take a decision on it at the
London conference.
And secondly I would expect that the international community as well as the
Afghan government commit themselves to a reinforced civilian reconstruction and
development in Afghanistan. So I think, the London conference will further
contribute to the new momentum and progress we will see in Afghanistan in 2010.
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