By NNN-Xinhua
Vilnius : NATO asked other players in Afghanistan — international organizations and donors — on Friday to do more to complement the alliance’s efforts.
“NATO is in the lead only when it comes to security,” NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer told a press conference on Friday at an informal meeting of NATO defense ministers.
“The United Nations, the European Union, the World Bank, the donors, and first and foremost, the Afghans themselves must take their full responsibility.”
NATO is clearly in an effort to fend off criticisms over difficulties in Afghanistan. A report published last week in Washington indicates that Afghanistan risks becoming a failed state six years after a U.S.-led coalition invaded that country and toppled the Taliban regime.
“NATO does not own Afghanistan,” de Hoop Scheffer said on Thursday.
NATO defense ministers on Friday met with their colleagues from non-NATO nations that also contribute troops to the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan as well as representatives of international organizations operating in Afghanistan, such as the United Nations, the European Union and the World Bank.
The alliance wants to better coordinate efforts of the international players in Afghanistan and come up with a so-called comprehensive approach that would combine military and civilian measures to bring success in Afghanistan.
NATO’s efforts in this respect suffered a severe blow after Afghan President Hamid Karzai rejected Britain’s Paddy Ashdown as the new UN special envoy to Afghanistan. Ashdown’s role would have been a “super coordinator” of international efforts in Afghanistan.
De Hoop Scheffer said Friday that a new person should be found for this post, although he said the job would be in the purview of UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.
NATO also asked the Afghan government to work harder.
“Governance must visibly improve, so that the Afghan people have trust in their leaders,” he said at the beginning of the meeting.
“The narco-economy (based on poppy growing) must be replaced by a legal, sustainable economy. And the Afghan Army must get more support, from NATO nations and from partners, to stand on its own feet and defend its own country.”
NATO admits that it is facing real challenges on the ground in Afghanistan.
NATO took over command of ISAF in 2003. After several expansions of the mission, the force now is responsible for security of the whole country.
Despite a troops surge from 6,000 to 43,000 within a space of two years, military commanders say there is still a 10-percent shortfall in capabilities, including troops and equipment.
In addition, few NATO allies are willing to send their troops to more dangerous areas.
Currently all 26 NATO allies have troops in Afghanistan. But only four of them — the United States, Canada, Britain and the Netherlands — are bearing the brunt of Taliban insurgency in the south.
The Pentagon had to announce the deployment of 3,200 Marines in Afghanistan for seven months — 2,200 of them in the south, after Washington’s calls for more European troops fell to deaf ears.
Canada, with 2,500 troops fighting in the southern province of Kandahar, has threatened to pull out its troops after their mandate expires in early 2009 unless other allies will provide additional troops and resources.
At the two-day informal meeting, no NATO ally has come forward with clear pledges although Poland as well as some non-NATO countries have indicated they would do more.
NATO defense ministers’ meeting fails to procure troops for Afghanistan.