http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2008/02/07/wafg207.xml
Afghan failure 'will bring terror to the West' By Stephen Adams and Matthew Moore Last Updated: 4:21pm GMT 07/02/2008 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. advertisement Last month Mr Karzai rejected the candidacy of Lord Ashdown, apparently fearing he would be seen as a viceroy-type figure. Mr Karzai has become increasingly critical of Nato operations in the country, and it is hoped the visit will stop the rot in relations. However, Mr Miliband and Miss Rice stressed today that the responsibility of restoring order to the troubled country lies with both sides. Mr Miliband said: "We've got responsibilities that we're determined to live up to and obligations that we're determined to live up to and ditto for the Afghan authorities. "That's something we want to follow through and at the heart of both our strategies is the belief this has to be done with the Afghan government and in fact led by the Afghan government, with our support." Miss Rice added: "The Afghan government has responsibilities, too. This is a two-way street, and I think everybody has to step back and concern ourselves with the Taliban." Before flying to Afghanistan Miss Rice had been in London for talks with Mr Miliband and Gordon Brown, where they issued a renewed appeal to Nato allies to take on a greater share of the fighting against the Taliban. Robert Gates, the US Defence Secretary, has said he will continue to be "a nag on this issue" at the Nato meeting today and tomorrow in Vilnius, Lithuania. Yesterday Miss Rice acknowledged that the Nato alliance was facing a "real test" in Afghanistan. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] -------------------------- Want to discuss this topic? Head on over to our discussion list, [EMAIL PROTECTED] -------------------------- Brooks Isoldi, editor [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.intellnet.org Post message: [email protected] Subscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] *** FAIR USE NOTICE. This message contains copyrighted material whose use has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. OSINT, as a part of The Intelligence Network, is making it available without profit to OSINT YahooGroups members who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information in their efforts to advance the understanding of intelligence and law enforcement organizations, their activities, methods, techniques, human rights, civil liberties, social justice and other intelligence related issues, for non-profit research and educational purposes only. We believe that this constitutes a 'fair use' of the copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the U.S. Copyright Law. If you wish to use this copyrighted material for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use,' you must obtain permission from the copyright owner. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/osint/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/osint/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
