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Q: What is your message for the people of Kabul as the new commander of ISAF?
Götz Gliemeroth: Well, the main message that I would like to deliver is that we are here in Kabul primarily to support the Afghan Transitional Authority and, thus, the Afghan people on their way to a secure, democratic structure.
The presence of the International Security Assistance Force and the NATO leadership, acting, of course, under a United Nations mandate, shows the strong commitment made by the international community to help the people of Afghanistan.
Personally, I'm looking forward to getting to know the inhabitants of Kabul and to making close contacts within the community. No doubt the Afghans have a fine reputation for their friendliness, openness and courtsey towards the soldiers of ISAF and to the international community as a whole. The vast majority of the population of Kabul fully understands our mission: We are here to assist the Transitional Authority in its stated goal of establishing a secure environment for the benefit of all.
Therefore, I am particularly honoured to be able to work very closely with President Karzai and his administration. We will endeavour to continue the successful partnership that has already been established.
Q: What exactly will NATO's responsibilities be as it takes over command and co-ordination of ISAF from the current lead nations, Germany and the Netherlands?
Götz Gliemeroth: ISAF and the NATO leadership will continue to work within the existing United Nations mandate, and that means, firstly, we will continue to assess the Afghan Transitional Authority by establishing and maintaining security in Kabul and its surrounding areas. Secondly we will, of course, assist and train the Afghan security forces, for instance for the protection of the constitutional Loya Jirga and the forthcoming elections.
And thirdly, of course, we will continue to support the United Nations and international organizations and, of course, NGOs in their efforts to reconstruct the country. And in addition, we will assist the Afghan Transitional Authority, and the reconstruction of the country by providing advisory and security support.
Q: What difference will there be between the previous mission of ISAF and this mission?
Götz Gliemeroth: ISAF will remain ISAF, no doubt, even after the handover. Just to stress the point, under NATO leadership, ISAF will continue to act according to United Nations resolutions. That means ISAF will continue to carry out the very same roles and responsibilities as before, under the same United Nations mandate and we will use the same flag, even badges as ISAF III, led by, as we all know, the first German-Netherlands Corps.
Whilst there will be no change to the ISAF mission itself, the change to the NATO leadership will provide continuity of command. The previous ISAF missions have no doubt been highly successful and now, NATO will provide, here, the forces in Kabul, backed by the vast resources and capacities of the Alliance.
NATO has gathered, as you all know, a great whealth of experience in a number of such operations, such as Bosnia and Kosovo and in both instances, NATO showed it's teeth in implementing lasting peace agreements. During those interventions, NATO was able to call upon significant military capability when we required.
With the long-term support of NATO, you, the Afghan people, will have the chance to reconstruct your country in peace.
Q: This is obviously a major development for NATO. What does it say about NATO's strategy following the Prague Summit?
Götz Gliemeroth: With the deployment of NATO forces to Afghanistan, and as we all know now, well beyond the Alliance's traditional boundaries, NATO is putting a new strategy into practice. But let me stress: NATO remains throughout a defensive alliance. And in addition, it strives for containing crises. And it is supporting a peaceful development and this leads us to the reconstruction efforts in Afghanistan. And in this context, we should be aware of how important it is that the U.N. mandated ISAF mission has the full backing of the Afghan Interim Authority and of President Karzai. ISAF and the Afghan Authority are unified and determined to bring peace and stability to the region. And together we will benefit: Afghans and the international community alike.
Q: What do you see as the main challenges NATO troops will have to face on the ground?
Götz Gliemeroth: It is clear to the international community and the Afghans alike that the ISAF mission has been highly successful to date. And yet, I fully understand that we have a very long way still to go for full achievement of the objectives of our missions.
The Bonn Agreement is not yet fully implemented, so we have plenty to do. The major critical events fast approaching, such as the mentioned constitutional Loya Jirga and the first elections means that ISAF must provide military assistance to ensure a secure environment. The overwhelming support of the people of Kabul is obvious. But there still exists an extremist minority who will hide behind the peaceful citizens of Kabul, making for a highly complex security environment.
And finally, but not less important, we must ensure that people do not have false expectations of ISAF. We are in Kabul to assist the government in establishing security, and the Afghan people must understand that. Therefore the primary responsibility rests with themselves and their Transitional Afghan Authority.
Q: How do you see the security of your troops on the ground?
Götz Gliemeroth: We are here to fulfil a mission. Risks are very often part of soldiering. But no doubt, security is something we always keep in mind and we take every possible measure to keep our soldiers safe. But I should make one point very clear: The suicide attack on ISAF III troops in June did lead to an end to the commitment to peace in Kabul, as some terrorists may have hoped. We, as NATO will continue not to falter in our determination to carry out our mission.
Q: How will ISAF's cooperation with the U.S.-led operation Enduring Freedom be?
Götz Gliemeroth: Well, no doubt, we have close liaison, and co-ordination, in order not to hamper our respective operations. Overall, the relationship with the U.S.-led operation will be the same as it was during the previous ISAF missions. But I should emphasize that ISAF and the U.S.-led operation, Enduring Freedom, are definitely different forces, with very different mandates and missions.