ISLAMABAD, Nov 2: The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)’s Special Representative to Pakistan Ambassador Maurits Jochems has said the NATO forces operating in the country have no direct security threat.
“We do not have a specific security concern,” he told a press conference here on Wednesday.
He was asked to comment on the reported Rocket Propelled Grenade (RPG) attack on a US Army Chinook helicopter near Chakothi. He said investigations “are under way and it is still to be known if it was an RPG”.
About the time-frame of the NATO Response Team’s stay in Pakistan, he made it clear that there were no long-term motives.
He said the North Atlantic Council has authorised a mission of up to 90 days, although this will be reviewed by the Council in mid-November. “NATO is here at the request of the government of Pakistan and we are in constant contact with them over the nature and duration of the mission,” he added.
He pointed out that under the laid-down rules, the NRF “is to be tailored to the needs of a specific operation and is not a permanent or standing force”.
Commander of the NATO Response Force (NRF) Vice Admiral John Stufflebeem and Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations in NATO’s Joint Headquarters at Lisbon, Portugal, Air Commodore Andy Walton were also present on the occasion.
Ambassador Maurits Jochems said the NATO was responding to a specific request from the government of Pakistan, adding that the military planners “have tailored the NATO response in accordance with the priorities indicated by the government”.
He said the NATO’s humanitarian operation was focused on helping to provide assistance in the short-term to as many survivors of the October 8 earthquake as possible, and paving the way for other agencies to begin the process of longer-term assistance and reconstruction.
