26-27
Nov 2008
NATO Secretary General, Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, paid a brief visit to Afghanistan on 26 and 27 November 2008. During his visit, the Secretary General met with President Karzai and Lieutenant General Jim Dutton, Deputy Commander ISAF, in order to receive an update on the current political and military situation in Afghanistan.
President Karzai and the Secretary General discussed the progress of voter registration ahead of the 2009 Presidential and Parliamentary elections as well as the security situation in the country.
”We are here to prepare the ground for Afghanistan to be a completely independent country with very strong security forces and an equipped army”, said NATO Secretary General.
The Secretary General paid a visit to the Khyber Border Coordination
Centre on the Afghan-Pakistan border to see first-hand the cooperation
between Afghan National Security Forces, ISAF and their Pakistani security
counterparts.
“This facility represents the very real progress we are seeing in relation to Afghan-Pakistan security cooperation along this vital lifeline between the two countries” said Mr de Hoop Scheffer. “We hope better cooperation will become an enduring feature in their relations, for the good of both countries”.
The
Secretary General then joined US ISAF soldiers in Jalalabad to share
Thanksgiving lunch and to thank them for their commitment and professionalism.
Before returning to Brussels the Secretary General also met with UN Special Representative of the Secretary General, Kai Eide, and a visiting delegation from the United Nations Security Council. During the meeting, the participants exchanged views on the pace of implementation of the Afghanistan Compact and the enhanced coordination role of the United Nations Mission in Afghanistan.
