LISBON, Nov 19: Transition in Afghanistan was the chief concern among the trans-Atlantic community as the Nato summit got under way here on Friday, even though the leaders adopted a new strategic vision and attended to other pressing issues, including reform of the 28-member alliance; ties with Russia; and the European ballistic missile defense capability.
The summit has been billed as the most important meeting in the 61-year history of the alliance, beleaguered as it is with war in Afghanistan and a worsening financial crisis that has forced a number of members to make major cuts in their defense budgets.
The Lisbon meeting is also being seen as a relaunch of the alliance as it braces to meet new challenges, including cyber-warfare, nuclear and missile proliferation, and energy security.
So focused are Nato members on the impending transition in Afghanistan that a separate session dedicated to the country is being held on Saturday. It will be attended by leaders from countries contributing troops to International Security Assistance Force (Isaf) and officials of international agencies. But, clearly missing from the agenda is Pakistan, whose role is considered to be crucial for any progress in Afghanistan.
An analyst for RIA Novosti newswire commenting on Pakistan's absence from the meeting on Afghanistan wrote: “Much like Banquo's ghost in Shakespeare's Macbeth, Pakistan will be present in the Lisbon summit — uninvited and invisible to all except the US”.
Even though the participation in the meeting on Afghanistan is restricted to Isaf countries, but Japan, which is neither a troops provider nor is a member of the alliance, bagged an invitation because of its role in reconstruction. A Nato official described Japan's participation as an exception.
Russia-Nato meeting taking place towards the end of the two-day summit would, besides other issues, deliberate on how Moscow could further contribute towards tackling the Afghan imbroglio — specifically through provision of logistical support and capacity building of Afghan counter-narcotics officials.
Nato's senior civilian representative to Afghanistan, Ambassador Mark Sedwill, speaking at a media briefing acknowledged that Pakistan could facilitate the transition process. He believed that “scale and pace of transition” would depend on how quickly Pakistan ends the terrorist sanctuaries in its tribal areas.
Besides, he said, Islamabad could help in the complicated reconciliation process by wooing Afghans based in Pakistan to make peace with Kabul.
Mr Sedwill made a rare confession that talks with Haqqani Network, whom he described as the most irreconcilable of the Afghan warring factions, were not going well. “The kind of demands they are making cannot be met by any Afghan government.”
He was sceptical about Pakistan getting a role in training of Afghan forces, even though one of the major commitments Nato is expecting from its member countries is for the training programme. “There are clearly sensitivities involved in giving training role to immediate neighbours because that could inflame the friction in the region.”
Afghanistan had, in a major policy shift, earlier this year sent a few officers for training to Pakistan, but the pilot programme could not take off, because of fears in Afghanistan and the West that the move could annoy the Indians.