Commander of int'l troops in Afghanistan warns against waning political will

VIENNA, Oct. 14, (Xinhua) -- The Deputy Commander of the International Security and Assistance Force in Afghanistan (ISAF), Lieutenant-General J. B. Dutton of the U.K., told the OSCE States on Wednesday in Vienna that, the international community must show political will in Afghanistan.

At a joint meeting of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Forum for Security Co-operation and Permanent Council, he addressed ISAF's mission and its implications for OSCE participating States.

He believed, though there were many problems in Afghanistan at the moment, the single most likely cause of strategic failure would be the loss of political will by the West in Afghanistan. He stressed: "Any perception of reduction in commitment or steadfastness works are against our interests."

He also said that the OSCE had a role to play in international efforts in Afghanistan, particularly in support of police training.

In 2007 the OSCE states approved a decision to strengthen the Organization's engagement with Afghanistan, which puts focus on intensifying OSCE action to help secure and manage borders between the OSCE's Central Asian participating States and Afghanistan, as well as calls for police training and support in the fight against drug trafficking.