By Prensa Latina
Canberra : Australian Defense Minister Joel Fitzgibbon expressed doubts regarding sending troops to Afghanistan where he considered the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) lacks a clear plan.
“I have been alarmed with the lack of common objectives among allies,” he told Parliament referring to the meeting of Defense ministers from the 26 NATO countries held in Vilna, Lithuania.
He also pointed out that the allies failed in their fight against drug trafficking in Afghanistan, where 42,000 soldiers from 39 countries are deployed.
According to Fitzgibbon, NATO forces have neither a coherent strategy nor a chain of command, responsibility is confused and an anti-narcotics strategy has failed.
He also considered that the countries involved in that campaign and occupation confront “a lack of evaluation of progress achieved” and “a crisis in the division of responsibilities.”
Early this month US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and British Prime Minister Gordon Brown called on NATO members to send more troops to Afghanistan to fight the rebels.
Although Australia is not a member of that organization it has 970 soldiers stationed in the ISAF ranks through its relationship with Washington, which began the invasion in 2001 under an operation dubbed Lasting Peace.
At the Lithuania meeting Canberra requested to be allowed to participate in strategic decisions and ISAF planning processes in Afghan territory.
The minister considered that in this manner Australians would be more committed and willing to support whatever military missions its government supports.