More questions and answers:

Charlotte Aagaard, Foreign Affairs Correspondent, Denmark’s Independent Daily, INFORMATION

• Q:   Can you confirm the statement of General McChrystal that the surge has turned the tide against the Taliban? To what extent has NATO made progress on the ground?

I rely on General McChrystal’s sense of things on the ground.  He meets a lot of people of all rank and station,  Afghan officials and Afghan citizens, ISAF officers and our troops in the field.  The collective impression they give him is that things are starting — but only starting — to turn if we remain committed and improve our capability to build decisively on this momentum.  I would also point out that we’re seeing an increased confidence of Afghan leaders, including their willingness to take a more active leadership role in military planning, for example.  President Karzai has also been active, visiting troops and participating in shuras in areas outside Kabul.  We’ve also seen more Afghans speak out against the insurgents, organizing themselves to provide alternatives to Taliban shadow governance and implement development efforts.
 
Abdulaziz M. Alhendi,UK Bureau Chief, Saudi Press Agency

• Q: Are you optimistic regarding the outcomes of London conference?

I see a new momentum building in our effort and a sence of urgency and focus to improve on important issues such as Governance and development, so yes, I’m optimistic about the outcomes of the London Conference, the right people are coming together,  with the right focus, at a critical time.

• Q: What do you think should come out of the conference in order improve the situation in Afghanistan?

The London Conference on Afghanistan will bring together all the relevant international actors, including NATO and our Afghan Partners, to agree on a revitalised effort .  The Conference will  reaffirm the international community’s commitment and also will place greater responsibility and accountability on the Afghan Government to respond to the needs of its people,  including security, governance and development. 

• Q: Is there any plan for NATO to ask its other members to send troops to Afghanistan instead of having large numbers of troops from only two countries mainly the UK and the US?

Contributions on both the civilian and military side in Afghanistan are very much appreciated. I ask all the same things of all troop contributing nations: to look at what more an be done; what other resources might be provided, be it troops, trainers, money or civilian experts.

From Hamida Ghafour, The National, Abu Dhabi

•  Q:   There have been many conferences,  starting with Bonn in 2001, following on to the 2006 Afghanistan compact in London that have all promised to achieve the same things: creating viable state institutions, helping the Afghans stand on their own feet with regards to security, education etc. Many promises made but little has been achieved. How will this conference be any different from the previous ones? 

We should be farther ahead than where we are,  and while we have increased our military effort we need a stronger and more coordinated civilian effort, which is why this conference is so important.  

This conference will be different because it will focus the collective international and Afghan effort on key issues: anti-corruption, reintegration and reconciliation, the expansion of the Afghan National Security Forces, and economic and social development.  These components are key to bringing security, governance, and development to the Afghan people.

•  Q:   Do you have any expectations of convincing the Dutch and the Canadians to not pull out as they’ve said they would in 2010 and 2011, respectively?

 We are focused on making progress in 2010, and are doing everything possible to ensure that we build and sustain our momentum, both on the civilian and the military side.   

Zarghona Mangal from Radio Free Europe Radio Liberty

•  Q:  Recently a conference was held in Abu Dhabi on reconciliation with the Taliban. Representatives from some 40 nations were there. Its also said that peace talks with the Taliban will be a major part of the agenda in the London conference. As head of NATO what do you think about reconciliation with the Taliban and even involving them in the new cabinet of Mr. Karzai? What is NATO’s stand?

NATO agreed in December 2009 to support Afghan authorities on reintegration issues and stands ready to contribute to a process of reconciliation.  Reconciliation and Reintegration must be Afghan-led and based on principles such as renounciation of violence and respect for the Afghan constitution.  Many Taliban fighters can be convinced to join their Afghan brethern in moving toward a prosperous Afghanistan.   This is all part of our population-centered approach.

Hannah Larsson
News Reporter Borås Tidning

•  Q:   Requests have been made amongst NGO’s contributing to building up the civilian sphere in Afghanistan for greater support, and military units contributing to the ISAF mission have also expressed wishes for a greater civilian cooperation. How do you see this being carried out in fact in the future and where is the need for civilian-military cooperation greatest in the Afghan society?

While we have increased our military effort we need to see a stronger and more coordinated civilian effort, which is why this conference is so important.  Civilian-military cooperation is necessary throughout the country, but most particularly in areas that have just been cleared of insurgents so that  the Afghan Government, as well as development specialists can come in and implement projects that make a lasting impact on  the lives of ordinary Afghans.