Military

SHAPE News Summary & Analysis

22 June 2004

NATO-SUMMIT

• In the buildup to the NATO summit, NATO Secretary General de Hoop Scheffer looks to Iraq, Afghanistan and beyond in a contribution to the International Herald Tribune. “It makes sense for NATO to discuss whether the allies could play a further role (in Iraq) if asked to do so…. It is clear to me that the entire international community has a profound interest in ensuring that the new Iraq finds its feet. The price of failure is simply too high,” Mr. de Hoop Scheffer says. Regarding Afghanistan, he indicates: “At Istanbul, I am confident that the heads of state and government … will confirm that NATO will expand its peacekeeping mission beyond Kabul by bringing more (PRTs) under NATO command. In doing so, they will illustrate NATO’s effectiveness at building security where it is needed today…. Afghanistan is not only an immediate challenge. It is also an example of the new kinds of operations this Alliance must be prepared to face—largely unforeseen, far from our traditional areas of operation, and a test of our collective ability to contribute to peace when and where we must.” Mr. de Hoop Scheffer also stresses that in Istanbul, he intends to put some fresh thoughts before the NATO leaders on “matching our grasp with our reach.” He writes: “Should NATO own and operate certain key assets, beyond AWACS? Can we take a longer horizon for our force planning, which includes better preparation for new operations? What new steps can we take to make sure that our political commitments are matched by resources?” He concludes: “We must prepare the Alliance for the future. Our heads of state and government will put into action a plan for NATO to acquire cutting-edge technologies to defend against terrorism. They will deepen NATO’s partnership with the … regions of the Caucasus and Central Asia. And they will endorse a change in our relations with the six Arab nations and Israel in our Mediterranean Dialogue toward substantive, practical partnership…. Istanbul will continue the modernization of NATO’s capability to take on the most demanding missions of the 21st century.”

ISAF

• According to Reuters, more than 50 aid agencies have urged NATO to redouble efforts to promote security in Afghanistan by announcing specific plans next week to deploy troops in restive provinces where they are most needed. The dispatch reports that in an open letter Monday to NATO leaders due to meet in Istanbul, 54 foreign and Afghan groups said NATO had failed to tackle the challenge of improving security since taking command of ISAF. “We urge you to ensure that NATO troops in Afghanistan are located, mandated and resourced to confront the immediate security threats faced by Afghans,” the group reportedly said. Troops should also assist efforts to disarm regional militias seen as a threat to elections due to be held in September and to train Afghan security forces, it said, adding: “Announcing your specific plans to accomplish these goals at the Istanbul Summit would demonstrate NATO’s firm commitment to overcoming real security threats, not just in Afghanistan, but around the world.” AFP carries similar information. The dispatch also speculates that NATO’s planned expansion of forces in Afghanistan is certain to increase the number of PRTs deployed outside Kabul. It stresses, however, that observers doubt whether the still-evolving concept will improve security sufficiently for elections. Referring to the killing of 11 Chinese road workers in Kunduz June 10, the dispatch notes that the occurrence of the worst post-Taliban massacre of foreigners in the one province where NATO peacekeepers run a PRT underscored aid agencies’ lack of faith in the teams’ capacity to really bolster security. In another development, the Washington Times reports U.S. analysts and diplomats called Monday for NATO to do more to provide a secure environment in Afghanistan for elections scheduled for September. “They have said that Afghanistan is their number one priority. They need to (fulfill) their promise,” the newspaper quotes William Taylor, the Afghanistan Coordinator at the State Department, saying at a panel discussion at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Mark Schneider, the senior vice president of the International Crisis Group, reportedly told the panel that next week’s Istanbul summit “is the last chance to make good.”