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| Updated: 30-Oct-2006 | NATO Speeches |
Portorož, 28 Sept. 2006 |
Joint press conference Informal Session of the Ministers of Defence in Portorož
JAAP DE HOOP SCHEFFER (Secretary General of NATO): A very good afternoon to you, ladies and gentlemen. Let me, of course, before I report on the meeting we just had, thank wholeheartedly Minister Erjavec, and through him, the Slovenian government and the Slovenian people, because we create some chaos on the roads as well from time to time, for their great and wonderful hospitality. It's a pleasure to be here, and we thank you wholeheartedly for that. It was a meeting, this afternoon, which was mainly focused, as you can expect, on Afghanistan. NATO's first priority. NATO's most important operation. What I saw around the table is a lot of resolve. A lot of resolve to stay the course in Afghanistan. A lot of confirmation that this is a long-term commitment for NATO. And also the notion that things are going well in Afghanistan. Let's not be gloomy when we discuss Afghanistan. If you look at the nation, if you look at the country, if you look at the fact that 3000 kilometres of road has been built, if you look at the fact that six million children are going to school, two million girls; if you look at the fact that reconstructions is going on in many places, then we can say it's a good story. Yes, NATO has to fight from time to time. NATO has to fight those forces who want to spoil that process, and NATO does, as NATO did in Operation Medusa in Panjwayi, west of Kandahar, and NATO prevailed. We have generated a lot of forces over the past periods of time. We are not entirely there yet. But we have generated forces, and most importantly, we have decided to go into what we call Phase 4 of the expansion of ISAF. Into the east. Which will bring 12,000-plus U.S. forces, including what we call in our jargon, enablers. That is, support on the ground, support in the air, and into ISAF. I think that's a very important decision and I think it is important and I'm grateful for that, that the United States has decided to bring its forces into ISAF. So we see reconstruction. We see Phase 4. We see another important element I would like to mention, a great resolve, and many commitments to equip and to train the Afghan National Army. NATO, like we do in Iraq, is going to be a sort of clearing house, and many ministers around the table this afternoon said that they are ready and that they are willing to equip the Afghan National Army. You know this is a question Minister Wardak, General Wardak, the Afghan Minister of Defence, put very clearly, and convincingly, I think, to the NATO allies. In other words, though the expansion into Phase 4 does not mean that what we need in the south, as far as the third phase is concerned, is not anymore necessary, but I say again, we've generated many forces, but we need to do more there. Afghanistan, I think, this meeting, this afternoon, was an important one. It was a meeting with a lot of resolve. Of course, another element which was mentioned many times around the table, which is also very important, is that nations lift what we call their caveats. I'll explain. The limitations they impose on the use of their forces in Afghanistan. One of the ministers said, giving forces without caveats is giving twice. It was the Polish minister, and he has every right to say this because Poland, as you know, decided to provide a battalion without caveats, so without limitations. But I like it, giving without caveats is giving twice. In other words, the force generation, the reconstruction, the Phase 4, the training and the equipping of the Afghan National Army, I think that it is a very positive story I can bring to you this afternoon. The second part of the meeting was devoted to other NATO operations and missions. Kosovo first. Well, you know that the process led by Martti Ahtisaari towards a status settlement goes on and ministers really agreed that KFOR, in this period, should stay on its present strength; 16, 16 and a half thousand would certainly not lose anything of the capability of capacity. And we started a discussion, but that will have to be done, of course, in close consultation with President Ahtisaari, about NATO's role and a NATO posture after a status settlement in Kosovo. Darfur was also discussed in the sense that you might know that last week in New York I had conversations with the president of Congo, Sassou-Nguesso, and with the president of the Commission of the African Union, Konare, where they both made a strong plea for NATO to continue its support, and you know what that support entails. That is airlift for the forces of AMIS, the African Union force, and capacity building, training... that NATO continues this support to the African Union. I'll expect a letter soon and Darfur will, as far as NATO is concerned, see a continuation of the support we are giving now to the African Union. That is what I have to tell you. Let me now turn the floor to Minister Erjavec. Karl, please. KARL ERJAVEC (Minister of Defence, Slovenia): Madame et Messieurs, Monsieur le Secrétaire-Général, je dois vous remercier pour la confiance, pour l'organisation de cette rencontre informelle de ministres de défense de l'OTAN. C'est un très grand honneur pour la Slovénie. C'est un jeune État. Cette année, on célèbre la quinzième année. La discussion aujourd'hui était bonne, ouverte, beaucoup de ça il a dit, Monsieur Scheffer. Je ne voudrais pas répéter. Je pense que cette rencontre ici à Portoroz est de grande importance. Parce que c'est la préparation avant le... la rencontre de présidents d'État et de gouvernement à Riga. Aussi, j'espère que vous avez des bonnes conditions, les médias, pour le travail. J'espère qu'on a fait tout le possible pour bon sentiment ici à Portoroz. Merci beaucoup. Merci pour votre attention. Et encore une fois merci pour la confiance. Q: Mr. Scheffer, (inaudible)...German Television (inaudible). You just said that you expect nations to lift the limitations. In the Bild Am Sonntag, German newspaper you said it's wonderful that the Germans are doing a great job in the north of Afghanistan, so do you now expect nations such as Germany to go into the south too? DE HOOP SCHEFFER: I have spoken about the caveats more in general. I know that in Germany where there is a special relationship also on the basis of a "Mandat" of the Bundestag, the German Parliament, I know that in Germany this is not an easy thing to do. The German position is that Germany - in fact today there was a debate in the Bundestag. That's the reason that Minister Franz Josef Jung will arrive later tonight. I think that the German position has not changed--something Minister Jung told me already over the telephone yesterday--as far as the geographic location of the German contingent in Afghanistan is concerned. Q: Mark John, Reuters. Secretary General, you mention your gratitude towards the U.S. in putting troops under ISAF command in the east. It will bring the amount of U.S. troops of about 14,000 now, over 32,000 for ISAF in total. That's nearly half. Is there not a sense in which the U.S. is coming to the rescue of ISAF here by offering it the flexibility and troop numbers that other allies were not able to come up with? DE HOOP SCHEFFER: That is what I was trying to say in my introductory statement. Of course, it is of great importance for ISAF that we have decided to go into this fourth phase, because the United States are indeed bringing under ISAF a very substantial force. On the ground, but not only the ground, also in the air and other enabling facilities. I add immediately that this is, of course, a very important decision and a very important development. But I add that although we have over the past weeks generated substantial forces, that that does not mean that with a decision to go into Phase 4, CJSOR, Combined Joint Statement of Requirements in our jargon, the requirements there are for what we call our third phase, south, where as you know many allies are now very active, are now less necessary than they were. That's why I'm saying that although we are doing well, we are still not there yet as far as the force generation for the third phase is concerned. But it is, of course, a key decision and a key development for ISAF that we go into Phase 4. Q: One question for you. Is... I am free journalist and writer for some Serbian newspaper. Is classical military power of NATO really the best weapon to fight terrorism? And question for both, what Slovenia as a member of NATO and EU could be participation in creating and implementing... implementating security policy in the southeast Europe? DE HOOP SCHEFFER: Well let me answer your first question. That of course, the... NATO plays its full part in the fight against terrorism. And if you take Afghanistan as an example I think it's a very good one, because suppose that NATO would not prevail, and Afghanistan would become the black hole it was before, and the Taliban, not only among the worst human rights offenders, but also an exporter of terrorism. And we know all over the world what the consequences of those acts of terror have been. Almost all over the world. So NATO does that. But let me say once again, as far as Afghanistan is concerned, the solution is not a military one. The solution is called development. But to make that happen, to create the climate for development and for reconstruction, you have to use military means from time to time, and NATO has proven to be able to be very tough. Not because we like to be tough, Operation Medusa, but because those people who are trying to spoil that process should be dealt with. But on a general note, the fight against terrorism, of course, has to be fought with many means, with many means. One of those means is, I should say, and I should repeat, the military. And that's what NATO is good at, as we are proving. But that does not mean that we are in Afghanistan only to use the military to see that reconstruction and stabilization is taking place there. That's the reason that it's so important that all the members of the international community be it the World Bank, be it the G8, be it the European Union, be it the Bilateral Donors, and first and foremost, be it the Afghan government itself, are all fully committed to the same cause. Because NATO can create security and stability, but NATO cannot possibly get Afghanistan right all by itself. On your second question, I say this not only in, but also outside the presence of my friend Karl Erjavec, Slovenia, as a member of NATO, is a staunch and very active ally. Slovenia is participating in KFOR, is participating in the NATO training mission in Iraq, is participating in ISAF. In other words, Slovenia proves, as a smaller nation, I can say that coming from the Netherlands, I think, Minister, without hesitation, can play an important role in the Alliance, and that's what Slovenia's doing. ERJAVEC: We are a credible and responsible member of NATO, and General Secretary has said we are in Iraq, Afghanistan, Kosovo, and we prove we are a credible member of NATO. Q: What is the timetable for accomplishing the Phase 4 shift, and don't you lose leverage over other allies who you're asking to contribute, you know, the remaining equipment and personnel if you proceed with it before that's accomplished? DE HOOP SCHEFFER: My answer about the when is very soon indeed. We have to choose a moment for what is called the transfer of authority, so that indeed the U.S. forces come under the command of Commander ISAF, as you know, the British General Richards. I don't exactly know when, but expect this to happen very soon indeed. And on your second note, I repeat again what I was answering on Mark John's question and that was one of the key elements of our discussion this afternoon, of course, as well, is that if you are in an Alliance based on solidarity you have to deliver and to deliver is a question of political will in the last instance. It's not a question of process or structure or organization. It's a matter of political will. If I see what has been done over the past week, and that's why I started this briefing on an optimistic note, optimistic tone, I think we are doing well, but we are not quite there yet. But Phase 4 should not be, and will not be, I can promise you, the argument to say we can rest on our laurels now, because that would be the wrong attitude, of course. JAMES APPATHURAI (NATO Spokesman): Thank you very much. DE HOOP SCHEFFER: Thank you very much. |
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