Monthly press briefing by NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen
NATO - North Atlantic Treaty Organisation
05 Sep. 2011
Monthly press briefing
by NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen
NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen: Good afternoon.
It is two months since I last met you all. And it has been a busy time for our main operations.
In Libya, our operation to protect civilians has moved significantly closer to success – but we’re not there yet.
In Afghanistan, transition has begun. Afghan forces are now providing lead security for one quarter of the Afghan population. That is a very good start. And I expect the next stage to be announced in the coming month.
In Kosovo, our mission played a vital role in stopping a crisis escalating. NATO-led forces did what was needed, and I thank them.
LIBYA
Two months ago, some of you asked me if there was any chance of progress in the Libyan operation in August. And some asked whether NATO had the resources to keep going.
Those questions have now been answered.
Our operation is not yet over, but the direction is clear. The Libyan people have taken their future into their own hands. They have made history. And so has the international community.
This operation has an unprecedented United Nations mandate. The responsibility to protect. That is historic.
NATO has been implementing the mandate with unprecedented precision. No comparable air operation in history has been so accurate, and so careful in avoiding harm to civilians.
And our operation has had an unprecedented effect. In five months, we have degraded a war machine which was built up over more than 40 years – to stop Qadhafi murdering his own people.
We set out to protect civilians. And we will see this through. NATO and our partners will be there as long as we are needed - but not one minute longer.
When we assess that the threat is over for good, we will conclude Operation Unified Protector. I cannot give a precise date – but I believe it will come soon.
It is now for the Libyan people to shape their future. The National Transitional Council at the Paris meeting impressed us all with their plan for this future. And the United Nations reaffirmed that it will play the leading role in supporting the Libyan people. NATO stands ready to help, if we are needed and requested to do so.
But Operation Unified Protector will end as soon as our mission is completed.
LESSONS LEARNED
And we can already start drawing the first lessons.
Most of those lessons are positive. All will play an important role as we start to prepare our summit in Chicago next May.
First, the crisis shows NATO’s flexibility. Nobody saw it coming. But NATO decided to act within 6 days. We set up the operation. And we adjusted it when we needed to.
Second, it shows NATO’s openness. We were joined by partners old and new. From the Middle East and Northern Europe. We agreed what needed to be done. We agreed how to do it. And we did it.
Because our partners know us, they trust us, and they are ready to work with us.
Third, it shows NATO’s strength. This was the first Alliance operation where European Allies and Canada took the lead. And the Alliance got the job done.
European Allies and Canada led the effort. But this mission could not have been done without capabilities which only the United States can offer. For example: drones, intelligence and refuelling aircraft.
Let me put it bluntly: those capabilities are vital for all of us. More Allies should be willing to obtain them.
That is a real challenge. And we will have to find the solutions at the next NATO Summit in Chicago.
LE SOMMET DE CHICAGO
L’an dernier, au sommet de Lisbonne, nous avons adopté un nouveau concept stratégique, qui esquisse ce que l’Alliance doit pouvoir faire.
À Chicago, nous devrons prendre les décisions qui nous en donneront les moyens.
Voici quelques exemples.
À Lisbonne, nous sommes convenus que les missiles balistiques constituent une menace. À Chicago, je voudrais que la capacité opérationnelle initiale de la défense antimissile territoriale de l’OTAN soit officialisée.
Et j’espère que nous pourrons décider avec la Russie de coopérer sur la défense antimissile pour faire face aux nouvelles menaces et lever les soupçons du passé.
À Lisbonne, nous avons approuvé un partenariat durable avec le gouvernement afghan. À Chicago, j’aimerais que nous adoptions un paquet concret de mesures de soutien – pour que les capacités de sécurité de l’Afghanistan continuent à se développer.
À Lisbonne, nous avons aussi décidé que l’OTAN doit disposer de tout l’éventail des capacités pour assurer la dissuasion et la défense contre les menaces. À Chicago, j’aimerais que nous prenions les décisions qui nous permettront de nous doter de ces capacités.
Dans le contexte économique difficile que nous connaissons, peu de pays peuvent financer seuls ces capacités.
Si nous ne pouvons pas dépenser plus, dépensons mieux. Nous devons définir des priorités. Nous spécialiser. Encourager la coopération. C’est ce que j’appelle la défense intelligente- ‘Smart Defence’.
From now to Chicago, we must identify the areas where Smart Defence can deliver the capabilities we need. And in Chicago, we must ask NATO heads of state and government for a smart commitment: real and tangible support for more multinational approaches.
Because, as Libya showed, we can never tell where the next crisis will come from – but we know that it will probably come. And once it does, it may be too late to start shopping.
With that, I am ready to take your questions.
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