NATO HQ, Brussels 16 Jan. 2006

Video Background Briefing by the NATO Spokesman Multimedia Audio file .MP3/ 4550Kb Video interview Biography James Appathurai JAMES APPATHURAI (NATO Spokesman): Hello, and let me begin by wishing you all Happy New Year. Two thousand and six will be a busy year for NATO because the NATO nations have agreed that near the end of the year, in November, in Riga , they will hold a summit meeting. For NATO summit meetings are rare events, unlike, for example, at the European Union. When we have them they have to achieve concrete deliverables, they have to move the agenda forward, they have to be a success, and there is a lot of work, of course, that needs to be done in any international organization, and ours is no exception. So much of the work that we do between now and then in November, will be geared towards ensuring that we do have concrete deliverables by the time we reach the Riga Summit, and we will have many ministerial meetings, up to five, between now and then. The one that's coming up soonest, that's in Taormina , in just a few weeks, I will discuss in a few minutes. Let me begin, however, by discussing two of NATO's major operations, one of which is coming almost immediately to an end, and that is the one in Pakistan . NATO, as you know, initiated, at the request of the Pakistani government, and of the United Nations, an airlift operation, and the deployment elements of the NATO Response Force, engineers and doctors in particular, to help Pakistan after the terrible earthquake that devastated so much of the country, and in particular Kashmir. We are coming to the end of that mission. The Pakistani authorities asked the Alliance to send forces and send assistance for 90 days. That 90 days will come to an end around the 1st or 2nd of February. At that point NATO forces will have left the crisis-stricken area, Bagh. By the end of the month all NATO forces and equipment will be out of the country, except that... what is being left behind by individual nations to continue assisting the United Nations, and continue assisting the Pakistani authorities. For example, the French government will leave behind what's called a fuel farm to fuel the helicopters that are flying in assistance in Pakistan . I know the German government is planning to leave behind some elements of assistance as well. So there will be bilateral assistance from NATO nations continuing. Of course, the United States is also playing a very important role and will continue to play an important role. But the NATO mission, after some 170 relief flights, after taking over 3,700 tonnes of relief supplies, including from the United Nations, after treating thousands of patients with our doctors, after clearing roads and rebuilding schools, the NATO mission will end, as requested, on schedule, around the 1st of February. Let me turn now to a second major operation of the Alliance , and that's Afghanistan . As those of you who read the paper or follow these briefings regularly know, NATO is planning a significant expansion of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force, the peace operation, in Afghanistan , from where we are now, that is, the capital, the north and the west of the country, also into the south. NATO nations have committed to do this. They did that quite recently, and now we are in the process of generating the forces to go south. The Canadian government will play a major role in this. So will the British government. The Canadian government I know has already begun to deploy personnel in anticipation of the full establishment of the NATO operation. Other countries are looking at what contributions they will make. The Dutch government, the Australian government and others. As the weeks and months go forward we are confident that the Alliance will have the forces that it needs, as well, of course, the rules of engagement, which we have agreed, and the correct operational plan, the correct relationship with the U.S.-led coalition, Operation Enduring Freedom. All of these elements we are very confident will be in place for an expansion of the mission into the south, and eventually also into the east of the country. That is one element of the overall international assistance to Afghanistan . It's an important one. It is, in many ways, the foundation for much of the other work that goes along with it. But, for example, in Afghanistan the narcotics issue is one of the main challenges to the security and the development of the country. And NATO can play its part in support of the Afghan government's efforts to help counter the narcotics threat, but NATO alone, and this is an example of the wider challenge in Afghanistan , NATO alone can not solve this problem. For example, if farmers are not growing poppies they must have something else to grow. For an effective counter-narcotics program there must be an effective police force; there must be an effective judicial system; and there must be an effective prison system; as well as alternative livelihoods, as I've mentioned. NATO cannot offer all of these things. NATO can only play its part. This is an illustration of the requirement for the entire international community, including the European Union, including the United Nations, including the Group of Eight industrial nations, including the major donors, like the World Bank, to play their part as part of a team effort in support of the Karzai government's priorities. That is why in London, on the 31st of January and the 1st of February, the United Nations and the British government are hosting, along with the Karzai government, a major conference in London, to set out a compact between the international community and the Afghan government who will do what in support of their priorities to ensure that what we do is coherent, that it is mutually reinforcing, and that it's effective. And then, of course, first and foremost, it meets the priorities of the elected representatives of Afghanistan . Afghanistan is making progress. There is a difficult security situation in the south and the east. That is obvious to anyone who watches the news or reads the paper. But what we shouldn't do, as we look occasionally, and unfortunately more than occasionally sometimes, at the attacks that take place in the south and the east, we shouldn't overlook the significant progress that this country has made with an elected president, an elected parliament now, and ever-increasing prosperity and security. This is a success story. NATO is going to be part of it, and when we go to the London conference, when the Secretary General goes to the London conference, he will chair the panel on security, but the overall message coming out of London will be NATO will do its part; the others, the EU, G8, UN, major donors, they will do their part; all together, in support of the Afghan government and it will be a long-term commitment because we will continue to reinforce the success that we have already helped to build. There's one other issue that I want to mention. I hinted at it before. One other major item on our agenda is the Defence Ministers' meeting, an informal Defence Ministers' meeting that will take place in Taormina , in Sicily , in... on the 9th and 10th of February. Informal meetings, as I've mentioned in other briefings, mean that there's no formal requirement for decisions to be taken by Defence Ministers. They are there to discuss the full range of issues on the NATO agenda, operational issues, transformational issues, and then of course look forward to more formal meetings where the concrete decisions are to be taken. In Taormina it is no surprise to anyone Defence Ministers will discuss our operations. Afghanistan will very much be part of that. They may wish to look back at Pakistan and see what lessons can be learned from this operation. It was, of course... Pakistan was, of course, something of an exception for the Alliance . NATO is not, and does not aspire to be, a humanitarian organization, but we took this on and of course as with any military operation, any security operation, there are lessons to be learned, and ministers may well wish to look at those lessons and see where the Alliance might tweak or improve, if we are called upon to do such things or similar things in future. They will look at Kosovo. By that point the status talks will be in full swing. Hopefully the leaders from Pristina and Belgrade will be meeting under the leadership of President Ahtisaari and KFOR will remain... will maintain its operational capability to ensure that the political process can go forward. And of course, ministers will look forward to Riga and what decisions we will want out of the summit, and therefore, what needs to be done now to make sure that we are where we want to be by Riga in terms of the way, and this is very important, the NATO Response Force is funded, and indeed, in terms of the way NATO operations writ large are funded, to ensure that there is sufficient solidarity, to ensure that there is funding for long distance deployments, to ensure that there is funding for quick deployments, to ensure that the money is there to match the political requirement, or the political decision for action once it has been taken. This may seen easy. It is not. Funding NATO operations is a complex business with some things common-funded, some things coming out of NATO budgets, but other things coming... and the majority coming out of national budgets as well. So we want to ensure that NATO has modern funding arrangements, and sufficient solidarity to ensure that the costs and the pain is spread evenly to meet the political commitments that we have made. These are the principal elements on the NATO agenda for the month coming up. Thank you for watching. I look forward to briefing you next month on what's coming up in February.