Sat, November 07, 2009
By Abdul Hadi Mayar
KABUL, Nov. 7 (Xinhua) -- In a startling statement, French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said Wednesday that it is difficult for the international coalition "to occupy Afghanistan or to defeat Taliban" in Afghanistan.
"It's a Pashtun war," he said in an interview with The New York Times. He said NATO should not look for a military victory but instead "consolidate and secure selected populated areas."
He said NATO had to get behind President Hamid Karzai "despite his well documented problems with corruption and questionable political allies."
He said that despite being weakened by the recent election marked by fraud, "We have to legitimize him" if NATO has any chance to consolidate Afghanistan and then leave it.
The French foreign minister's remarks came days after his visit to Afghanistan where he held talks with both president Karzai and his nearest rival in the recently held presidential race Abdullah, urging them to work together.
Later he announced at a press conference that Karzai and Abdullah had agreed to cooperate to end their political standoff.
"They have both cited the necessity to work together," he said.
Commenting on the latest remarks of the French foreign minister, BBC said on Thursday that in fact Kouchner "is stressing the overall complexity of the situation in Afghanistan."
It said European partners in NATO need to be much clearer about the rules of engagement which differ from one country to another quite often.
Earlier, French President Nicholas Sarkozy had assured Karzai of his country's full backing as he congratulated him on his re-election.
Other Western leaders have also urged Karzai for change in Afghanistan.
President Barack Obama said in Washington last week: "I did emphasize President Karzai that the American people and the international community as a whole want to continue partnership with him and his government in achieving prosperity and security in Afghanistan. But I emphasize that this has to be a point time in which we begin to write a new chapter."
British Prime Minister Gordon Brown proposed what he called a unity program for the future governments of Afghanistan.
"Afghanistan now needs new and urgent measures for tackling corruption, strengthening local governments for reaching out to all parts of Afghan society and for giving the Afghan people a real stake in their future," he said.
Similarly, the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon in a statement said: "Afghanistan now faces significant challenges and the new president must move swiftly to form a government that is able to command the support of both Afghans and the international community."
After his re-election late last week, Karzai promised to fight corruption and described peace and stability to be top priority of his new government.
Kouchner also took exception to NATO and U.S. policies in Afghanistan. Asked if the NATO alliance was not working very well in Afghanistan, he said: "It's not working at all."
"What is the goal? What is the road? And in the name of what?" he asked.
He said he appreciated President Obama's deliberations on a new Afghan strategy, but asked: "Where are the Americans? It begins to be a problem." He added: "We need to talk to one another as allies."
Kouchner said Europe should take the opportunity of a new Afghan administration to coordinate its policies on Afghanistan and not wait for Washington to make all the decisions.
"We need to speak as Europe to the Americans" on Afghanistan, he said and added: "to be effective, you must do it close to the Afghan people and not against them."
Coming ahead of President Obama's new strategy on Afghanistan and at a time when NATO and the European Union are reshaping their policy on the insurgency-riddled country, the French foreign minister's remarks are likely to raise eyebrows in Western capitals.
However, regional observers feel that Kouchner has pinpointed harsh realities in Afghanistan, which both the United States and its Western allies need to pay heed to.
