USA: German Defence Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg says Germany to rethink Afghan troop levels

Record ID: 751714

  • Title: USA: German Defence Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg says Germany to rethink Afghan troop levels
  • Date: 20th November 2009
  • Summary: WASHINGTON D.C., UNITED STATES (NOVEMBER 19, 2009) (REUTERS) GERMAN DEFENSE MINISTER KARL-THEODOR ZU GUTTENBERG ADDRESSING AUDIENCE AUDIENCE MEMBERS LISTENING (SOUNDBITE) (English) GERMAN DEFENSE MINISTER KARL-THEODOR ZU GUTTENBERG SAYING: "I will say that we will certainly rethink our mandate that we are prolonging now in December. But for that we need the fundament (foundation). The fundament will be, one pillar, certainly the American announcement. And on the other hand, secondly, which is one of the most interesting parts as well, is what we can expect from the Afghan government." AUDIENCE MEMBERS LISTENING (SOUNDBITE) (English) GERMAN DEFENSE MINISTER KARL-THEODOR ZU GUTTENBERG SAYING: "Conflict resolution in Afghanistan cannot be done with military means only. What an unbelievably boring sentence, but how unbelievably true. Hence before formulating a clear strategy on Afghanistan, we need to agree on a pragmatic and binding work share. Every actor involved, at the national as well as international level, needs to perform and show full commitment." PEOPLE LISTENING GUTTENBERG TALKING TO A MEMBER OF THE AUDIENCE
  • Embargoed: 5th December 2009 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Usa
  • Country: USA
  • Topics: International Relations,Defence / Military
  • Reuters ID: LVAEMUHYGW0MPI7S4IOVZ1QJLSQ6
  • Story Text: German Defense Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg says Germany to reassess Afghan troop levels early next year. Germany is currently the third-largest contributor to the Afghan mission.
    Germany, the third largest contributor to the NATO-led mission in Afghanistan, on Thursday (November 19) held out the possibility of sending more troops to the stalled, eight-year-old war after a review early next year.
    German Defense Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg said any increase would depend partly on U.S. President Barack Obama's new war strategy, expected to be unveiled in the coming weeks.
    After a meeting with U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates at the Pentagon, Guttenberg addressed a audience at a local think tank.
    "I will say that we will certainly rethink our mandate that we are prolonging now in December. But for that we need the fundament (foundation). The fundament will be, one pillar, certainly the American announcement. And on the other hand, secondly, which is one of the most interesting parts as well, is what we can expect from the Afghan government," Guttenberg said.
    Guttenberg stressed the importance of the role of Afghanistan and the government's commitment to take control of national security. President Hamid Karzai was sworn in earlier on Thursday in Afghanistan and in his inaugural speech he pledged to do just that.
    Guttenberg said that too much importance was being placed on the military strategy and that more emphasis should be played on other areas like institution building, for example.
    "Conflict resolution in Afghanistan cannot be done with military means only. What an unbelievably boring sentence, but how unbelievably true. Hence before formulating a clear strategy on Afghanistan, we need to agree on a pragmatic and binding work share. Every actor involved, at the national as well as international level, needs to perform and show full commitment," Guttenberg said.
    Germany's current troop levels stands at about 4,500 troops.
    Opinion polls show most Germans oppose the involvement of their forces in Afghanistan, but the German government agreed on Wednesday to extend the army's mandate there by a year.
    The German government has resisted pressure from the United States in previous years to divert its soldiers to more violent areas in the south of the country. Last week the defense ministry announced it would send 120 more troops to the country.
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