German foreign ministry clarifies Karzai's anti-NATO statements
IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency
Berlin, March 14, IRNA -- Afghan President Hamid Karzai urged NATO and US merely to stop military missions that result in 'unnecessary (civilian) casualties' - and not all the operations, a German Foreign Ministry official said Monday.
The German official, speaking on condition of anonymity, was commenting on the Afghan president's strong protest over the civilian deaths in the US-led NATO air raids in Afghanistan.
The German official said that Germany's special envoy on Afghanistan Michael Steiner held a meeting with President Karzai last week and that 'the Afghan leader clarified his grievances against US and NATO military missions in Afghanistan'.
The German official said that his government agreed with Karzai's point of view.
President Karzai was reportedly quoted as saying Saturday that NATO and US should
stop their operations in Afghanistan.
'I ask NATO and US, with honour and humbleness and not with arrogance, to stop its operations in our soil,' Karzai was cited saying in the eastern province of Kunar during his visit to express condolence to the families of nine children who were killed by US air raids earlier this month.
The rising civilian death toll in Afghanistan has been a major source of friction between the Kabul government and western troops, notably the US soldiers.
Germany which only recently extended the Afghan military mandate for another
year, has deployed around 4,900 troops in Afghanistan as part of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF).
Most Germans are deeply opposed to the military mission in that country.
Berlin hopes to begin the pullout by the end of this year and conclude the withdrawal by 2014, depending on the Afghan security situation.
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