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This is not a NATO Press release

15 November 2008 For immediate release

NATO challenges in Afghanistan require parliamentary support

Senior NATO military officials presented parliamentarians with the continuing challenges facing the Alliance and its International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan during the 54^th Annual Session of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly (NATO PA) in Valencia on 14-18 November.

Â“The situation in Afghanistan continues to be NATOÂ’s top operational priority,Â” JosÃ© Lello, President of the NATO PA, told journalists during the press conference opening the session on 14 November. But he stressed, Â“There is no purely military solution in Afghanistan. We need a concerted effort by the Afghan authorities and all international players in Afghanistan, including the UN, NATO, the EU and others.Â”

Addressing the NATO PAÂ’s Economics and Security Committee on 15 November, Lt. Gen. Karl W. Eikenberry, Deputy Chairman of the NATO Military Committee and previously commander of coalition forces in Afghanistan, noted progress in voter registration for next yearÂ’s elections, building infrastructure, education, and training Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF). He presented the challenges facing NATO in Afghanistan as securing next yearÂ’s elections, developing effective ANSF, dealing with militant extremism and terrorism on the Pakistani side of the Afghan-Pakistani border, delivering the Comprehensive Approach agreed during the April 2008 Bucharest Summit, and marshalling Â“the right operational capabilities and forces.Â” Eikenberry expressed optimism that these challenges could be met but called for parliamentariansÂ’ support Â“in explaining this very complex and difficult mission to your constituents.Â”

Lello pointed out that US President-elect Barack Obama has stressed the need to stabilize Afghanistan. Air Marshal Christopher H. Moran, deputy commander of Joint Force Command Brunssum, the NATO operational command in charge of ISAF, told the Defence and Security Committee on 15 November that this could mean potentially more combat brigades for ISAF, requiring deconfliction and the proper command and control arrangements. He said parliamentarians could help meet NATOÂ’s challenges in Afghanistan by supporting strategic communications with the media, more national contributions and internal reform of the Alliance to streamline its decision-making process.

News and information on the Session is routinely placed on the NATO PA website

Check http://www.nato-pa.int/Default.asp?SHORTCUT=1597

16 November 2008
Press communiquÃ© for immediate release

Situation in Pakistan Â“more direÂ” than Afghanistan, expert warns

A comprehensive regional strategy by the international community is urgently needed to end chaos in Afghanistan and Pakistan, stressed Pakistani analyst and writer Ahmed Rashid, addressing legislators during the 54th Annual Session of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly in Valencia on 14-18 November.

Â“The civilian government in Pakistan needs more international support to face problems in three major areas,Â” Mr Rashid said. Â“There is an economic crisis, which is the result of lack of structural changes during the military rule of Mr. Musharraf; a terrorist threat from militias controlling the semi-autonomous Federally Administered Tribal Areas near the Afghan border; and a difficult relationship between the government and the military, which is refusing to move against insurgentsÂ”.

The civilian government in Islamabad is Â“very openÂ” to rectifying the errors of the past and convincing the Pakistani military to reign in the terrorist threat in the FATA. But Â“unless the decision-makers in Pakistan decide to make stabilizing the Afghan government a higher priority than countering the Indian threat, the insurgency conducted from bases in Pakistan will continueÂ”, explained Rashid.

No multilateral framework exists to deal with the complex and entwined problems of the region, Rashid pointed out. NATO has no clear Pakistan policy, despite the fact that its troops in Afghanistan are suffering losses from Pakistan-based insurgents. The UN Security Council Â“has hardly discussed Pakistan Â’s role in Afghanistan Â”.

As the incoming US administration has talked about a Â“surgeÂ” in Afghanistan and renewed political efforts in the region, this should be elevated to a Â“high-level diplomatic initiativeÂ” to build a genuine consensus on the achievement of Afghan stability by addressing the sources of PakistanÂ’s instability, according to Rashid. This should include a settlement of the Kashmir dispute, which would allow the Pakistani military to concentrate its efforts on the border with Afghanistan .

Â“A first stepÂ”, Rashid suggested, Â“could be the establishment of a contact group on the region authorized by the UN Security CouncilÂ” including the five permanent members, NATO and Saudi Arabia, and promoting dialogue among all regional actors. Such dialogue would have to be complemented by Â“a multilayer international development aid packageÂ”, aimed particularly at the border regions.

The NATO Parliamentary Assembly brings together legislators from NATO member and non-member countries to consider security-related issues of common interest and concern. The Assembly is an interparliamentary organization and is independent from NATO.

Intersecting interests offer opportunities for
NATO cooperation with AFRICOM [press release]

A senior US military official presented the United StatesÂ’ new Africa Command (AFRICOM) to parliamentarians attending the 54th Annual Session of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly (NATO PA) in Valencia on 14-18 November.

Addressing the Defence and Security Committee on 16 November, RAdm. James M. Hart, Director of Strategy and Plans of AFRICOM, headquartered in Stuttgart, Germany, and operational since 1 October, saw possibilities for cooperation with NATO.

Hart read AFRICOMÂ’s mission statement: Â“in concert with other U.S. Government agencies and international partners,Â” to conduct Â“sustained security engagement through military-to-military programs,military-sponsored activities, and other military operations as directed to promote a stable and secure African environment in support of U.S. foreign policy.Â” He said the focus of the new command is to reduce conflict, improve security, defeat violent extremism and support crisis response. This involves small teams building the security capacity of African partnersÂ’ land and maritime forces, promoting strategic relationships and conducting civil-military (CIMIC) activities.

Hart provided examples of AFRICOM activities:

A 2,000-strong combined joint task force including British and French participation deployed in Djibouti since 2002 providing military-to-military training and CIMIC support of local infrastructure.
Enhanced Training of the Ugandan Peoples Defence Forces.
The Africa Partnership Station (APS) programme to improve West African nationsÂ’ maritime security in October 2007-April 2008 and for another six months in 2009.
The Africa Contingency Operations Training and Assistance (ACOTA) programme, which has trained and equipped 10,000 African peacekeepers since 1997.
The Africa Deployment Assistance Phased Training (ADAPT) programme to enhance African force projection, with a focus on logistics, transport,and command and control.

Hart pointed out that, although technically it has no relationship with AFRICOM, NATO previously cooperated with the US European Command on airlift support of African Union peacekeepers in 2004-2007 and the Africa Clearinghouse since 2006, the NATO Maritime Group circumnavigation of Africa in 2007, and the NATO Response Force Exercise Steadfast Jaguar in Cape Verde in 2006. But he saw Â“intersecting interestsÂ” between NATO and AFRICOM in the AllianceÂ’s Mediterranean Dialogue, maritime security, and support and capacity building of the African Union and Africa Standby
Force.