29 April 2010 - AFGHAN-NATO EFFORTS IN AFGHANISTAN AT A CRITICAL JUNCTURE

This is the principal conclusion brought back by a delegation from the NATO Parliamentary Assembly that visited Afghanistan April 23-28, 2010.   The delegation, led by Estonian MP and Assembly Vice-President Sven Mikser, was composed of six members of parliament from NATO member states and the Assembly’s Secretary General, and was accompanied by the Political Advisor from NATO’s Joint Force Command Brunssum.

‘’It is clear from our discussions and travels in Afghanistan that we and our Afghan partners have the right approach in place now,’’ said Mr. Mikser.  ‘’Success will depend on whether it is properly resourced and given enough time to work.  Our Afghan partners have told us time and again that they want to take responsibility for their own future – but they also insist they need us to stay with them until they are ready to do so.’’

During its time in Kabul, the delegation met with members of the upper and lower houses of the Afghan parliament; the Afghan ministers of Defence and Interior, as well as the National Security Adviser to the President; the senior leadership of ISAF and of the NATO Training Mission-Afghanistan, and other senior military and diplomatic officials.

The delegation also visited the USFOR-A Counter-Insurgency Academy, and travelled to Kandahar and Helmand provinces for discussions on current operations and development and governance initiatives with senior civilian and military leaders, including the Commander of Regional Command-South and the civilian head of the Helmand Provincial Reconstruction Team. 

For the first time, members of the Assembly visited the newly established Detention Facility in Parwan (DFIP), under the command of U.S. Joint Task Force 435, at Bagram Air Force Base.   The delegation toured the facility and observed detainees and the conditions of their confinement.  Also, at Bagram, the delegation met with the uniquely merged civilian and military leadership of Regional Command East. 

A detailed visit report will be available shortly on the Assembly’s website. 

Composition of the delegation:

Sven Mikser (Estonia), Vice-President of the NATO PA
Frank Cook (UK), General Rapporteur, Defence and Security Committee
John Sewel (UK),  Chairman, Subcommittee on Transatlantic Economic Relations
Wladyslaw Sidorowicz (Poland ), Vice-Chairman, Political Committee
Mati Raidma (Estonia ), Head of the Estonian delegation to the NATO PA
Kresimir Cosic (Croatia ), Head of the Croatian delegation to the NATO PA
David Hobbs, Secretary General of the NATO PA

Accompanied by Jack Segal, the Chief Political Adviser to the Commander, Joint Force Command Brunssum, Alex Tiersky, Director of the Assembly’s Defence and Security Committee, and Ruxandra Popa, Director of the Committee on the Civil Dimension of Security.

Contact the NATO PA Press and Media Relations Service for more information
Phone: + 32 2 50 48 154
E-mail: press@nato-pa.int