PARIS, March 17: Nato members fighting in Afghanistan needed to lift restrictions on where and how their troops were deployed or risk hindering the mission, French Defence Minister Herve Morin said on Tuesday.As the United States prepared to send more troops to Afghanistan to battle a growing Taliban insurgency, Mr Morin said France would not commit additional soldiers or equipment.

France has lost 27 men in the conflict and operates in some of Afghanistan’s most dangerous areas, while allies such as Germany have limited their troops’ exposure with so-called “caveats” to placate public opinion at home.

“We need the caveats to be lifted because they are a source of complications in the alliance,” Mr Morin said in his Paris office, the room where former Prime Minister Georges Clemenceau helped plot the allied victory in World War One.

The United States and Nato allies are working on a new strategy for Afghanistan.

Mr Morin welcomed what he described as a more comprehensive approach by US President Barack Obama and said an increase in US troops could encourage broader peace-building efforts.

“The idea is, we are in a situation where we are not making considerable progress,” he said of the strategic shift. “And rather than stay there for 20 years with the same level of troops, (the US is) putting together a package with all the rest — governance, development, national reconciliation.”

Mr Obama has authorised an additional 17,000 troops for Afghanistan, on top of the 38,000 already there, flanked by just over 30,000 troops from other Nato countries and allies, including some 2,800 from France.

There has been pressure on European nations to commit more forces, but governments are reluctant to alienate their voters by pouring additional resources into the unpopular war.

Meanwhile, Mr Obama has said he is open to reaching out to more moderate elements within the Taliban.

“We have to talk to those who want to talk,” Mr Morin said. “Within the Taliban, there are those who are on Jihad, who are in a war against the West ... there are also students who want the strict application of Sharia law.”

A presidential election slated in Afghanistan for August could provide an opportunity for such a dialogue, he said.

Sitting in his office, surrounded by a chest-high antique globe and photos of the racehorses that are his passion, Mr Morin said it was hard to generate support for the Afghan operation.

A clear timetable and milestones marking the mission’s progress would help allay public concerns. “Many French people find it difficult to understand that part of their security is at stake 11,000km from their home,” he said, stressing that pulling out was not an option.

“To do what — leave Afghanistan in the hands of the Taliban, with Iran and Pakistan, a nuclear power, as its neighbours?” he said.—Reuters
Tags: