Berlin - The United States expects its European allies in
NATO to supplement their troop presence in Afghanistan, at least
during the country's August election period, US security advisor
James Jones said in a newspaper interview published Sunday.
'Whether these troops stay longer or head home straight after the
elections, is another matter,' Jones said in an interview published
Sunday in German daily Tagesspiegel.
Although US President Barack Obama is not expected to ask for an
increased troop commitment at next week's NATO summit, Jones said it
was 'self-evident' that he would welcome increased deployments.
The former general said: 'From the fact that the USA has not made
public detailed demands to its allies, one cannot deduce that the
request does not exist.'
'Every nation is free in its decision,' the security advisor
added.
Jones further emphasized the importance of civil assistance
projects provided by allied forces in Afghanistan.
'The time has passed, in which the quality of the relationship is
measured by the number of soldiers,' Jones said, adding that military
might alone 'does not suffice in the conflicts we are now dealing
with.'
In Afghanistan, for example, a lot could be learned from the
German contribution, the security advisor said, adding that Germany
had done a great deal to train the Afghan police forces.
Germany has 3,800 troops engaged in training and reconstruction
programmes in the north of the country. It has pledged extra troops
ahead of the August elections, as part of the NATO-led International
Security Assistance Force (ISAF).
USA
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