NEWS RELEASE
21 NOV 2008
NATO Military Committee
concludes two days of meetings in
Brussels - 19-20 Nov.
2008
NATO HQ, Brussels – Chiefs of
Defence of more than 60 Countries together with NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander
for Operations and NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander for Transformation
attended, at various levels, the Autumn NATO Military Committee Meetings chaired
by the Admiral Di Paola, Chairman of the Military Committee here
Thursday.
NATO members, Euro Atlantic Partnership Council nations,
the Mediterranean Dialogue countries and Ukraine had the opportunity to discuss
a wide range of issues, taking stock of all NATO-led operations and missions to
include ISAF, KFOR and maritime operations. In this context, particularly
welcome were the presence throughout the meetings of the Chairman of the
European Military Committee, Gen. Henri Bentegeat and the intervention during a
special session of Gen. Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, Pakistan Chief of Army
Staff.
As usual, detailed discussions were devoted to operations,
and in particular to the development of the situation in Afghanistan. The
Military Committee confirmed that military operations alone will not provide a
long-term answer to creating a secure and peaceful environment in Afghanistan,
while only a comprehensive approach, involving all interested parties,
will enable a successful outcome for the Afghan people. NATO will continue
to engage the International Community in a coordinated effort to enable
economical and social development, and the installation of good governance, to
include the rule of law and human rights, constantly working
towards an Afghan ownership. In this respect, NATO
forces must continue to concentrate their efforts on civilian-military
cooperation, and the training of the Afghan National Army through expert
Military Liaison Teams – both these initiatives providing concrete results and a
visible sign of the Afghan people building their own future. The Chiefs of
Defence recognised that 2009 will be a crucial election year, and that nations
must make a major effort to staff Military Liaison Teams.
NATO’s Secretary General, HE Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, also
addressed the Chiefs of Defence, and assured them of his “profound
admiration for the quality of the people the nations have committed to ISAF, and
what a remarkable job they are doing under difficult
circumstances.”
“In the context of a regional approach to Afghanistan,
Pakistan is a key player,” Admiral Di Paola said after a meeting with Gen
Kayani, the Pakistan Chief of Army Staff, confirming that “a stable and
peaceful Afghanistan is in the vital interest of Pakistan”. Gen Kayani gave
a frank and informative presentation to the Committee, in which he underlined
the strong need for increased cooperation between his forces and those of ISAF.
He emphasised the importance of understanding the
geographical-cultural-historical background of the border regions and the
population living there. He underlined the need to actively engage the
Pakistan-Afghan border tribes to enable a better control of cross-border
movement. Close military-to-military cooperation with Pakistan, specifically
through the Tripartite Commission meetings between senior Afghanistan, Pakistan
and NATO/ISAF Commanders, is key to regional security. The Committee and the
Pakistan Chief of Army Staff both shared a common strategic approach solving the
Afghanistan-Pakistan cross-border problems.
With regard to Kosovo, the security situation was assessed
as stable. The Chiefs of Defence were updated on the progress of the
setting up of the Kosovo Security Forces, fundamental to the future security of
Kosovo. The EULEX Head of Mission, Lieutenant General (R) Yves de
Kermabon, participating by video-conference from Pristina, and General Bentegeat
updated the Committee on the progress of the future EULEX mission.
NATO/KFOR, UNMIK and EULEX staffs are fully cooperating to avoid any security
gap during this transition period.
The Chiefs of Defence were also updated on Operation
Allied Provider, NATO’s current maritime operation to assist ships delivering
humanitarian aid to Somalia, under the UN World Food Program. In response
to the urgency of the UN’s request, NATO worked quickly to deploy four ships
from its Standing Maritime Forces to escort shipping in danger of pirate attack.
This operation, although temporary, is proving very successful in
protecting the delivery of humanitarian aids. Coordination is continuing with
the EU, also in the view of the future European mission in the area (Operation
Atalanta). It was noted that the threat to international maritime security
is of global concern, and needs a broader approach.
The Mediterranean Dialogue countries confirmed the value
of meetings at such a high level as the Chiefs of Defence as being a useful
forum for discussions at a strategic level on issues of common interest.
Military-to-military cooperation is an important tool for strengthening security
and stability, also in relation to the maritime security challenges in the
Mediterranean region.
Chiefs of Defence also reviewed the so-called Lines of
Effort that focus on current military issues and are important for NATO’s
military transformation, covering, amongst others, a common NATO approach to
defence planning. Much emphasis was also placed on capitalising on
operational lessons learned, and including this knowledge into basic,
preparatory training before employing personnel in mission. In the Euro Atlantic
Partnership session, Austria gave a comprehensive presentation of lessons
learned from participation in KFOR, from a national point of view. In
relation to this, the importance of the role of the Joint Allied Lessons Learned
Centre (JALLC) in Lisbon, and the recently agreed NATO policy on lessons
learned were also discussed, with a view to further sharing experiences with
Partners. The Serbian Chief of Defence, Lieutenant General Zdravko Ponos,
briefed the Committee on the cooperation between the Serbian Armed Forces and
NATO/KFOR. Admiral Di Paola said that this close cooperation was very
valuable to the Alliance in enhancing regional stability.
Referring to a continued increase in NATO-Ukraine military
cooperation, Admiral di Paola congratulated the Ukraine Chief of Defence,
General Serhiy Kyrychenko saying, “There is no other NATO Partner giving
such a strong contribution across all the NATO missions and operations as
Ukraine.” Admiral di Paola also underlined the value of Ukraine’s
participation in NATO’s Response Force. General Serhiy Kyrychenko thanked
the Military Committee for their appreciation of Ukraine’s efforts to transform
their forces, enabling them to participate so fully in NATO-led
operations.
The Committee also discussed preparations for 2009, NATO’s
60th anniversary year. NATO’s Secretary General updated the Chiefs of
Defence on the main issues that will dominate the anniversary year, pointing out
the importance of the work of the Committee in providing essential military
advice to the North Atlantic Council, and NATO Heads of State at the 2009
Summit.