Press Conference

by the NATO Spokesman James Appathurai
after the Informal Working Lunch of NATO Defence Ministers, with Invitees

JAMES APPATHURAI (NATO Spokesman): Friends and colleagues, thank you for coming. I won't take too much of your time. The first session of the ministerial is, I think, still underway, but I wanted to come and update you in time for you to be able to file.

Let me first, on behalf of NATO and the Secretary General will do this himself, thank Poland, thank the Polish government, thank the people of Cracow for hosting us here. This is a stunningly beautiful city which we have made a little bit more inconvenient for the days that we're here, so on behalf of the Secretary General let me, again, apologize for the inconvenience and thank everybody who's hosting us here.

Let me turn to the substance of the discussions today. First, the Secretary General has met with Secretary Gates in a bilateral meeting where they had an extensive discussion of two things; one is Afghanistan, the other is preparations for the Summit. 

He then had a long discussion with Minister Wardak and then we, the Ministers, moved into a NATO-only discussion of operations. And there are, in essence, three issues that I want to discuss, because they were reflected both in the Secretary General's bilateral discussions and in the ministerial meeting.

First of course, first and foremost, is Afghanistan. All the allies around the table, and of course the Secretary General, welcomed the U.S. announcement of further troop deployment, 17,000 troops have been approved for deployment to Afghanistan by President Obama. Secretary Gates made a point, which the Secretary General also shares, and that is that this should not be, and should not be seen as only a U.S. extra effort, that this extra effort needs to be balanced by all of the allies. And certainly Secretary Gates heard around the table a shared view amongst the allies that everybody needed to do more.

Secretary Gates also explicitly promised the allies, and that process has already begun, a process of engagement with NATO, with NATO allies, on the U.S. review process. They want to hear what allies have to say as they, the United States, engage in their own process of strategic review. He also said that the U.S. intends to finish this process of strategic review well before the NATO Summit, so that the consultation process between the end of the review process and the NATO Summit can take place so that everybody is moving in the same direction by the time we get to Strasbourg and Kehl.

So, that was one issue. The second issue was a shared view around the table that a strategic priority for 2009 is election support. The elections will take place on August 20th. The Secretary General discussed this extensively with Minister Wardak. There is a commitment around the NATO table to provide the forces necessary to allow the elections to go forward in a secure manner, and that was repeated around the table by Defence Ministers. I am quite confident that as we get...(BREAK IN TRANSMISSION)...everybody understands that with regards to Afghanistan this is a priority, if not priority number one for 2009.

The other area discussed quite extensively was that we need to step up our support for Afghan National Security Forces. Mr. Wardak repeated with the Secretary General, and I'm quite sure he will repeat again this afternoon at the ISAF meeting, that this is, of course, the future for Afghanistan; strong, more effective security forces that can provide for the security of their own country so that NATO forces can move to a different posture, and that will require training and equipment.

Afghan National Army force levels will reach, by the end of March, 86,000. This is well ahead of schedule and they hope to reach 134,000 by the end of 2010. Again, two years ahead of schedule. What that requires is more mentoring and liaison teams, and that requires, of course, NATO allies to step up. We have 49 in place, we have a shortfall of almost 20 so that needs to be met and that shortfall will increase as the Afghan National Army grows.

So there is a shared view around the table that NATO needs to do more with regards to Afghan National Army training teams.

There was also a very clear recognition that the Afghan National Police needs further support and there is a discussion underway to see what more NATO could do to support the Afghan National Police. What does that mean? We are currently... allies are currently providing, through ISAF, support in the form of intelligence, in the form of transport, in the form of training, in the form of intelligence, in the form of emergency support and medical evacuation. But there is a discussion, with no decisions expected today. This is an informal meeting about whether NATO could expand its role in police training to take a more direct role, for example, in paramilitary training, Gendarmerie, Carabinieri, Royal Canadian Mounted Police kinds of capabilities that could be more directly applied through NATO to support the Afghan National Police, so that was clearly a priority for discussion.

Finally, counternarcotics, there was initial discussion of the expanded role that NATO forces are taking now based on the order given very recently by General Craddock, implementing the Budapest decision by Defence Ministers to expand the authorities of ISAF forces to take action against narcotics facilities and facilitators where they provide material support to the insurgency.

General Craddock briefed the allies on the initial results. It has only been weeks since the final orders were given and ISAF has started to take action. There have been a number of operations, four operations have already taken place, eight drug labs have been... well, action has been taken against eight drug labs. Five hundred thousand dollars of drugs have been seized and a number of Afghans engaged in the counternarcotics industry, where that provides material support to the insurgency, have been arrested as a result of these expanded authorities just in the past few weeks.

So things are happening already and Minister Wardak, like the rest of the NATO allies, are absolutely convinced that we need to take action against this nexus because it is providing the money that is providing the weapons that are killing our soldiers and feeding the insurgency.

That's the Afghanistan discussion. There were two other issues discussed. Kosovo relatively briefly. Allies are quite satisfied with the way in which the security environment has remained calm despite what is a relatively fluid political situation. We have good coordination with the other security bodies on the ground. First and foremost, of course, the UN, EULEX and the Kosovo police. They also discussed, though not at great length, the implementation of the new tasks that KFOR has, the stand-down of the KPC that has happened, stand-up of the KSF that is happening, and in a way that allies consider to be satisfactory.

Finally, piracy. Clearly an issue of importance for international security. The Secretary General will brief you, I think, in some more detail. What I can say is this: Based on the discussions we have had in the NAC over the past few days and the discussions here, I think you can expect to see another NATO naval operation off the coast of Somalia in the spring. Details remain to be worked out, but I do believe we can expect to see, as I say, a NATO operation off the coast of Somalia in the general effort to combat piracy.

In a few minutes the ISAF meeting will begin. General Wardak will be there, Minister Wardak, excuse me. The Special Representative of the Secretary General, Kai Eide, will be there as well, and they will brief the allies, the Secretary Generals, NATO Secretary General Special Representative. Ambassador Gentilini, the NATO High Representative in Afghanistan also present at the meeting.

A number of issues will be discussed, but I think they will be similar to what has been discussed now, but just in a format that quite rightly includes all of NATO's partners. That is election support, counternarcotics and support for the Afghan National Security Forces.

Tomorrow morning discussion of transformation. That is, implementing the NATO Response Force, modernizing our forces, providing more deployable headquarters... sorry, excuse me, helicopters. And well, that's about it for transformation.

And then we'll have two important meetings, NATO-Ukraine Commission where the allies will discuss with the Ukrainian government their effort to reform and modernize their defence and security structures as part of Ukraine's efforts to meet NATO standards and come closer to the Alliance. And in that context progress within Ukraine on developing its annual national program. It has not yet been completed, but certainly allies will be very interested to hear where Ukraine is in developing it.

And finally, the NATO-Georgia Commission, equally important discussions with Georgia on how they are doing in implementing their reforms; the NATO support since August to Georgia in rebuilding its defence infrastructure. Let me stress right now, not in terms of weapons, but in terms of providing advice and guidance. And there may well be a discussion of the regional situation, including the situations in Abkhazia and South Ossetia, where I understand from yesterday there has been some political progress.

That's it. I'm happy to take any questions.

Q: Hi James, Martinez de Rituerto, El País. So the allies have all clap and celebrated the decision of President Obama to send 17...

APPATHURAI: Sorry.

Q: Yes.

APPATHURAI: Go ahead.

Q: Yes, I was saying that the allies are happy and have celebrated the decision of President Obama of sending 17 more soldiers to Afghanistan. Have they backed their mouth with their money? I mean, have anyone promised doing something and who are they, if there are any? Thank you.

APPATHURAI: Thank you. There are, I think, three ways in which we have to look at this. First is that the U.S. decision now is being, of course, not only welcomed, but looked at very carefully by the allies, but everything, I think, I can safely say, is now in the context of the Summit in Strasbourg and Kehl. So we will see, I think, this situation develop in terms of other allied contributions as we move forward towards the Summit.

Secondly, I think we need to look at not just the military contributions, but also civilian contributions. One clear theme running through this meeting is that while our military effort does need to be enhanced it is already very substantial. It has grown now by 13,000 forces in one year. We have very robust operations taking place throughout the country.

We would wish to say, and when I say we I mean NATO, but I think it was also NATO Ministers, and the Secretary General, all would like to see an increased effort also on the civilian side, with regard to support for governance, with regard to support for the police, with regard to increased development assistance. And in that area, as well, the allies, and not just the allies, but the partners that we have in this international effort, will be looking at what more they might do.

I had a third context, but I can't remember what it is. All this to say... oh yes, that there two areas in which allies will be making contributions. One will be to the overall mission in an enduring way, and the second will be election support.

So these are all areas in which there is going to be progress, I think, but I think we need to look to the coming weeks and to the Summit to get further deliverables.

I think there was a question behind.

Q: Barbara Roshera(?), Associated Press. On the drug labs, can you just explain were these operations, that you mentioned, ISAF-only operations or were they both ISAF and Afghan forces? And how has the Budapest decision actually helped to advance in this area?

APPATHURAI: Thank you. Very quickly, these are ISAF and ANSF, Afghan National Security Forces operations. And Minister Wardak, in his bilateral with the Secretary General, was very clear in saying that Afghan National Security Forces are ever more integrated into international forces operations. They are leading 40 percent of the operations taking place in Afghanistan now. They are participating, I think, in about 70 percent, if not more, of overall operations. And Minister Wardak is very satisfied with the development in this way.

The Budapest decisions, as provided the political context, the orders now, agreed through the chain of command, implemented by General Craddock, give COMISAF the authorities necessary to deploy ISAF forces against these targets, with, I have made it very clear, with the caveat, or in the circumstances that they provide material support to the insurgency, so they have, in essence, expanded his authorities to deploy forces where he needs to to address this nexus.

So they are very important and we are already seeing the effects.

Why don't you come down there.

Q: Hylit Farouk(?) from Geo Television, Pakistan. There is a lot of discussion regarding Afghanistan, the regional approach. Are you going to include Iran in this regional approach, number one? And number two, that you are claiming that a lot of ANA, Afghan National Army security forces and Afghan operators is integrated into NATO structure there, but Hamid Karzai last week in Munich was talking differently and he submitted a lot of complaint against NATO's heavy-handedness. Can you comment on that?

APPATHURAI: First, the Secretary General has said, and he's not alone in saying, that we need a more regional approach. You're absolutely right. There are regional problems that need regional solutions. Extremism is a regional problem. Terrorism is a regional problem. Narcotics are a regional problem and I would say certainly in the case of narcotics, Iran is as much a victim of this as any country in the region, with well over, I think, a million addicts because of what's happening in their neighbourhood.

We have not, within NATO, come to any decisions in terms of engaging beyond the existing ISAF format, but I do know, as you know, that there are discussions in capitals about how to have a more regional approach, including a regional approach that doesn't exclude Iran. But I couldn't announce any decisions in that regard.

Minister Wardak was very clear today. He feels that it is working well. He is pleased with the arrangements that we have in place, with the arrangements that Afghanistan has in place with the United States, including the recent agreement between himself and General McKiernan as the head of U.S. Forces in Afghanistan.

Can we do better? Yes, of course, we can do better. The Afghan president has sent to NATO, I think it was Minister Wardak, in fact, who sent to NATO, a letter indicating that there are areas in which they would like to see, in essence, greater Afghan National Security Forces involvement in international operations. That is being looked at very carefully. The Secretary General spoke to Minister Wardak specifically about this. Today impressed upon him how seriously we take it, for the same reason that they take it seriously. We want to reduce to the minimum civilian casualties caused by international forces. And committed to engage directly with the Afghan government and seek their input, even as our own experts, political and legal, look at what is in the letter.

So there should be no doubt in Afghanistan of how seriously we take this. I say again, we should put the civilian casualty issue in context. While we make every effort to reduce them, our statistics are very clear that it is the Taliban and other extremist groups that are causing 80 percent of the civilian casualties in Afghanistan and even where NATO forces, ISAF forces, cause civilian casualties, it is very often because the Taliban fight from civilian homes, retreat to civilian areas and use human shields. And that is a context which I think we cannot forget as we have this discussion.

Q: Nick (inaudible), DPA. James, we've heard Defence Secretary Robert Gates address the possible use of the NRF in Afghanistan for the election period. Some allies are not happy with this. I know transformation will be discussed tomorrow, but we're talking about Afghanistan, so has there been any discussion on this issue and where do you see it going?

APPATHURAI: To be very frank I'm not sure that the NRF as a structure would be used, but that is not impossible. What is clear is that allies intend to be very flexible in terms of the way in which they categorize the forces that are used for election support. What is most important to them, and what they have set as the priority, and that is a clear and explicit statement, and agreement by the allies, is that election support is the priority and they will ensure that the forces necessary are provided for the elections.

Where exactly these forces are drawn from that, I think, will be determined in the coming weeks and months.

Q: Thank you. A question about Georgia's participation in ISAF contribution. The decision was made before the August war during Russian and Georgia to send the troops in Afghanistan. But after that it's changed. What's to... the news about that? Will...

APPATHURAI: Well, I don't have any news about that. Let's wait for tomorrow's discussion. I think that's the best thing to do. I don't have any news today. Tomorrow the Secretary General, I'll happily give you the floor and he'll answer the question himself.

Q: Thank you.

APPATHURAI: I only have time for a couple more. I think there was one over there. And plenty more over there. Shall we take one there? I don't know where the microphone is anymore. You can't reach. Oh yeah, okay, go ahead. Yeah, it's fine. Yeah, please.

Q: Only to know what's the NATO reaction of the decision Kyrgyzstan to close the Manas Base. 

APPATHURAI: The Manas Base is not a base used by NATO as an organization. It is used by NATO allies, a few NATO allies, but not by NATO. So this has not direct effect on the Alliance. I do know that some allies might regret this decision by Kyrgyzstan, but I also know that there is plenty of flexibility in the logistical supply chain for NATO and for NATO allies. There are alternatives. They will be used, and we will continue to supply and allies will continue to supply their forces as needed

Eighty percent of our supplies for the ISAF mission go through Pakistan. That line of communication is intact and working fine. We have full stockpiles inside of Afghanistan as well, and other ways of supplying the forces on top of that. So it is an inconvenience, I think, for allies, and one to regret... a decision to regret, but we can certainly absorb it.

Q: Can you hear me? From Radio Free Europe, Radio Azadi. I have a question which has two parts. One, you are talking about the contribution of forces in NATO in Afghanistan. What about the reconciliation process? Have you paid any attention to that, for example, for those, like ordinary Taliban, not the al-Qaeda others?

Number two, how... or are you confident on the cooperation of Pakistani government, especially the military, to help the instability in Afghanistan? Thank you.

APPATHURAI: Thank you. On reconciliation, the NATO line is clear and consistent. A, that NATO and NATO forces do not engage in the reconciliation process, or in any kind of talks on reconciliation. That is for the Afghan government to decide and to lead. That's the first point.

The second point is, though, that NATO has always believed that for a solution there must be a political element. The Afghan government believes that there are groups who are, let's say, fighting on the wrong side, but who can be engaged in discussion to abide by the constitution of the country and they wish to engage with them. They may wish to engage with them.

That is their right, and we will support them in doing that. I think it's safe to say, if you look at what happened in Kabul recently, there are some who are not willing to abide by the constitution and who are going to continue to engage in mass murder and they will have to be dealt with in a different way.

I'm afraid... oh sorry, Pakistan. And I forgot the question on Pakistan.

Q: Are you confident of them?

APPATHURAI: Oh yes. The Secretary General went to Pakistan, I think, three weeks ago, and spoke with all of the leadership. I think there is no doubt in NATO Headquarters of the intention of the civilian government in Pakistan to do whatever it can to fight the threat of extremism, which they clearly recognize. And might I add, also General Zardari recognized as a threat which is not... President Zardari, sorry. General Kiani, General Kiani, excuse me. Which they recognize as now threatening their own country. So the firm intention of the government to try to tackle extremism inside of Pakistan we do not doubt. Pakistan has to be part of the solution to the problem. It is certainly a victim of the problem now.

What does that mean? It means we have to provide more support as an international community to the Pakistani effort. That means a political engagement. It means more very practical assistance. That is what the Pakistani government is seeking. I think they will certainly get that from NATO and from NATO allies.

I am told that is all the time I have. I'm sorry to everyone, but the Secretary General will be here at a certain stage, hopefully around 6:10, to talk to you.

Thank you.