Rebuilding Afghanistan "team effort" not relay race: NATO secretary-general

MUNICH, Germany, Feb. 7 (Xinhua) -- The rebuilding of Afghanistan cannot be a relay race, but a "team effort," with systematical engagement from all major international players running toward the same goal, NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said here on Sunday.

NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen speaks during the Munich Security conference in Munich, Germany, on Feb. 7, 2010. (Xinhua/Harald Dettenborn)

In his first speech at the 46th Munich security conference, Rasmussen called on all important players, such as the United Nations, the European Union, the World Bank, NGOs and Afghanistan's neighbors, to work actively and coordinately for the security and re-establishment of Afghanistan.

"We need an entirely new compact between all the actors on the security stage," he said. In Afghanistan, "it has to be a team effort, because nobody succeeds until we all do ... this is a key lesson we are learning in Afghanistan today."

He said he hoped that China, India and Pakistan could be engaged in a constructive way, helping Afghans with their economy, education and public service.

"Where and when conditions allow, we will start to transfer lead security responsibility to the Afghans," Rasmussen said. "I don't know when the process will be completed, (and) I think it should start this year."

Rasmussen, 56, takes over as NATO's secretary-general from his predecessor Jaap de Hoop Scheffer in August after serving as Denmark's prime minister.

Sunday is the last day of the three-day Munich security conference, a leading political forum also known as the "Davos of security policy."

About 300 high-level politicians, business leaders and military officers attended Sunday's discussion, with NATO's new strategy and Afghanistan as the main topics.