Military

SHAPE News Summary & Analysis

22 December 2003

NRF

• Le Monde, Dec. 21, carried an interview with French Armed Forces Chief of Staff Gen. Bentegeat in which he viewed France’s place within European security and its contribution to the NRF. “Europe became a reality in 2003. We moved on from a theoretical concept in Saint Malo in 1998 to the successful implementation of two initial European operations this year in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and in Congo,” Gen. Bentegeat noted. He recalled that proposals to enhance the EU’s operational efficiency gave rise to an agreement on strengthening the EU’s planning capabilities and increasing transparency between the latter and NATO. “This program in no way conflicts with our commitments to the Atlantic Alliance,” he continued, stressing: “I cite as evidence of this (President Chirac’s) decision … to involve France in the NATO Response Force (NRF). This commitment by France within the Atlantic Alliance is reflected in the establishment of the rapid response staffs within our own armed forces—one for the Army, one for the Navy, and one for the Air Force. These staffs will be available both to NATO and to Europe.”

AFGHANISTAN

• AP writes that Afghanistan’s Grand Council pressed ahead Monday with debate on a landmark constitution, despite an overnight rocket attack on the Afghan capital that caused no injuries but highlighted the fragility of the country’s peace drive. The dispatch quotes an ISAF spokesman saying up to four rockets exploded in the north of Kabul between 11 p.m. and 2 a.m. One hit a house in a residential area, blowing a hole in the roof and shattering windows. But the Council meeting in a huge tent on the city college campus was unscathed, the spokesman reportedly said. According to the dispatch, he said that ISAF had forensic teams examining the impact sites and that no one had been arrested so far.

Media focus on the announcement by Lt. Gen. Arno, the top U.S. military commander in Afghanistan, that the United States is to step up aid in risky Afghan regions.
Gen. Arno’s announcement amounted to an admission by the Americans that the 11,500 troops in the country have been unable to stop a constant stream of insurgent attacks that have undermined or slowed international aid efforts, writes the New York Times. According to the newspaper, the announcement also signaled a major shift in emphasis for the PRTs run by the military, which have been helping mainly to provide emergency relief to Afghans and win the trust of the population. Now those teams will focus primarily on providing security in the southern and eastern areas of Afghanistan that have been most vulnerable to insurgent attacks this year. “It is important to recognize that PRTs have an important security role as well as a reconstruction role,” the newspaper quotes Gen. Barno saying.
Recalling that NATO on Friday authorized the expansion of ISAF beyond Kabul, with German peacekeepers taking over the U.S.-run PRT in Kunduz on Dec. 31, AFP reports that Gen. Barno hailed ISAF’s expansion as “great news” for Afghanistan and added: “I also think we’re also going to see a number of additional NATO PRTs that are rolled over the next six months or so.”
Kabul’s Radio Afghanistan, Dec. 21, quoted Gen. Barno saying the number of PRTs will reach 12 in the provinces by the end of February. According to Gen. Barno, the broadcast continued, the goal is to ensure security, establish public welfare, and reduce the gap between the people and the government.

OTHER NEWS

• Commenting on Libya’s decision to abandon its weapons of mass destruction and allow unconditional inspections, Welt am Sonntag, Dec. 21, wrote: “The world has seen the end of two top rogues in the past few days. One was pulled out of an earth hole in dirty clothes and with tangled hair. He is faced with the death penalty or life imprisonment. The other, Libya’s Col. Kadafi declared publicly he was ready to destroy the weapons he had accumulated illegally. Contrary to Saddam Hussein, the Libyan head of state did not underestimate the determination of the U.S. administration after the Sept. 11 attacks. At the same time, he recognized how far his country was from being able to use its nuclear potential as an asset in political negotiations. Kadafi’s surprisingly clear statement is the result of U.S. and British negotiating skills. But Libya’s change of course is also a transatlantic success. Unlike in Iraq, Europe and the United States have always pursued a common strategy toward Libya.”