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Obama urges NATO to help Afghanistan
Brussels (AFP) Jan 22, 2009 US President Barack Obama urged NATO in a letter released Thursday to "renew" its alliance and work together to "face down the perils of this moment of history," including the war in Afghanistan. "The lesson of the 21st century is that the security of our nations and our people is shared. We face an extraordinary set of challenges, and must meet them together," he said in the letter read by US NATO ambassador Kurt Volker to his colleagues during an informal meeting. "That is why we must renew our Alliance, respect every nation's contribution, and strengthen our capacity to meet the challenges of our young century," Obama said in the letter addressed to NATO chief Jaap de Hoop Scheffer and members of the North Atlantic Council. "NATO has much to be proud of, but also much work to do -- from helping the people of Afghanistan build a better future, to helping the people of Europe's south and east as they become fully a part of democratic Europe," he wrote. "As we move forward, the United States will remain committed to doing its part to strengthen our common security, and honors the service of the brave men and women of our nations who are serving in harm's way," Obama said in the letter, which was sent to NATO on Tuesday right before his inauguration. Obama, who has vowed to make Afghanistan the central front in the "war on terror," plans to withdraw troops from Iraq and send 30,000 more US soldiers to Afghanistan, where a NATO force is fighting a resurgent Taliban. European Unions countries that have contributed troops to the 51,000-strong NATO mission in Afghanistan are bracing for the possibility of a request from Obama to increase their deployment, which is unpopular in some countries. "Our nations share more than a commitment to our common security -- we share a set of common democratic values," Obama wrote. "That is why the bond that links us together cannot be broken, and why NATO is a unique alliance in the history of the world. Now it falls to us to work together to face down the perils of this moment in history, while seizing its promise." Related Links News From Across The Stans
NATO asks Pakistan for more help over extremists
Islamabad (AFP) Jan 22, 2009NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer called Thursday in Islamabad for stronger cooperation with Pakistan and greater action in the country to stop extremists infiltrating war-racked Afghanistan. |
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