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NATO chief urges more German military instructors in Afghanistan

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Berlin, Aug 4, IRNA
Germany-Afghanistan-NATO
NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer called for the additional sending of German military instructors to Afghanistan, the daily Bild am Sonntag said in a report to be published Sunday.

"Germany has already helped a lot in the training of the Afghan army. However, if we want to accelerate this process, we still have to do more," the NATO leader said.

"Do I still wish to have more German instructors' teams? Absolutely. I will urge all allies and partners to support more strongly this important part of the mission," he added.

De Hoop Scheffer stressed that training and equipping of Afghan troops was "the key to reaching our goals in Afghanistan".

Germany is mostly involved in the Afghan civilian reconstruction process as well as training the Afghan police force.

Last week, the head of Germany's co-governing Social Democratic Party (SPD), Kurt Beck said he was contemplating about a greater engagement of his country in the Afghan military and police training program.

The SPD chairman was quoted as saying in the press, "Our goal is to stabilize civil society and government and train more intensely Afghan security forces -police as well as military- in a bid to ensure their own security in the medium-term."

"Therefore, we will have to discuss the question whether we have to send more soldiers and police (to Afghanistan)."

Beck expressed also support for calls by Chancellor Angela Merkel to extend the military mandate in Afghanistan.

Berlin has deployed some 3,000 troops in northern Afghanistan as part of the 38,000-strong International Security Assistance Force (ISAF).

German public opinion opposes sending more soldiers to the war- stricken country amid a series of kidnappings of German nationals in Afghanistan over the past several weeks.

Merkel has pledged her country's "long-term" commitment to remain in Afghanistan amid the latest kidnapping wave of German nationals in that country.

The chancellor made clear that German engagement in Afghanistan would be "long-term, important and indispensable".

She stressed the need for a closer interlocking of western civilian reconstruction efforts and the NATO-led military campaign in Afghanistan.

Berlin has repeatedly said that more focus should be placed on rebuilding efforts rather than solely military instruments.

OT/1412