Mission in Afghanistan tops agenda for NATO summit

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Source: CCTV.com | 11-29-2006 09:01

Related : NATO worries over Afghanistan operation

NATO heads of state and government have kicked off their summit meeting in the Latvian capital of Riga. A key issue for leaders from the 26 member states will be the NATO-led, peace-keeping mission in Afghanistan , and NATO's role in the 21st century.

In the two-day summit, the situation in Afghanistan is expected to dominate talks. The credibility of the alliance is increasingly being tested by the worsening security situation on the ground and the lack of flexibility on the side of NATO troops.

The NATO-led International Security Assistance Force has faced unprecedented challenges since taking control last month.

Spiraling violence, especially in the south of the country, is stopping NATO member nations from sending more badly-needed troops.

NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer says 2,500 extra troops plus equipment are needed to suppress Taliban fighters ousted from power five years ago. He said, "Afghanistan is mission possible. And while we have to be frank about the risks, we also need to avoid over-dramatizing our difficulties in ways that feed self-fulfilling prophecies of failure. Above all we need to remind our publics and ourselves too, occasionally, of the reasons why we went to Afghanistan in the first place."

NATO's 26 member states and 11 non-alliance partners now deploy some 32,000 troops in Afghanistan, including 12,000 American soldiers who were put under NATO command in October.

Earlier Tuesday, US President George W. Bush appealed to allies to provide more troops with fewer national restrictions. He said, "Taliban and al-Qaeda fighters and drug traffickers and criminal elements and local war lords remain active and committed to destroying democracy in Afghanistan. Defeating them will require the full commitment of our alliance. For NATO to succeed, its commanders on the ground must have the resources and flexibility they need to do their jobs."

Discussions over NATO's future strategy will also be a big topic on the agenda. A key issue will be Washington's proposal to launch a "global partnership" with countries outside the Euro-atlantic area all part of possible expansion for NATO.

Editor:Du Xiaodan