NATO “playing not to lose” in Afghanistan

Eric Farnsworth, the Vice President of the Council of the Americas, led a discussion on NATO’s evolving role in Afghanistan at The Woodrow Wilson Center. Farnsworth said that NATO’s mission in Afghanistan is of great importance and failure to stabilize the country would not only undermine the credibility of the NATO alliance, but would also threaten international security by allowing Afghanistan to emerge as a safe haven for terrorist organizations and the narcotics trade. Farnsworth also said that Canada has been a major contributor to NATO’s effort, particularly securing the “war-torn” southern region of Afghanistan.

Pamela Wallin, a member of the Independent Panel on Canada’s Future Role in Afghanistan and the Senior Advisor of the Council of the Americas, explained that Canada has a long-standing tradition of peacekeeping efforts and concern for world affairs. She said that Canada went into Afghanistan as a country right after the 9-11 attacks took place, and have been there ever since. The Canadian government has released its next response when dealing with Afghanistan which keeps their troops in the country until 2011. Wallin said that this new plan has a focused approach on dealing with the problems in Afghanistan, one with benchmarks to “judge what victory looks like.”

Joel Sokolsky, the Dean of Arts and Professor of Political Science at the Royal Military College of Canada, said that there is a major change in how Canada is now perceived within NATO. Sokolsky explained that Canada was always known as a peace keeping nation and cut back their defense spending during the 1990s. The perception of Canada as a “laggard” has been changed with a shift in focus and a raised structure of armed forces.

Thomas Lynch, a Colonel of the U.S. Army and a Federal Executive Fellow at the Brookings Institution, explained that Canada needs to “play not to lose” in Afghanistan. He said that NATO is a big influence on the country and needs to focus on helping Afghanistan move forward. Lynch also said that NATO needs to strengthen its commitment to Afghanistan and not move out like the Americans did.

Afghanistan: Is freedom around the corner?

Four star General Dan McNeil, commander of both U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan said that the Afghan government should be able to successfully hold free elections next year. He said that things are going very well on the ground and that the Afghan people are starting to take control of their country. He said that since 2006 the number of military recruits has grown from 600 per month to around 4,000 in 2008. He also said that the national security force has swelled to nearly 60,000 soldiers.

McNeil said that the one of the major problems facing Afghanistan is narcotics trafficking. He said that around 40% of all weaponry is purchased with money made from narcotics. He said that reducing the sale of narcotics is an issue that must be dealt with by the Afghan government and it is one of the biggest challenges the country must overcome on the road to complete independence.

He said that NATO is doing a good job in Afghanistan but that they could do more and should do more. He said that without help from an outside source, at least for the time being, the Afghans will not be able to remain independent.

White House Gaggle

Briefer: Tony Fratto

President’s Schedule

At 10.15 am President Bush makes remarks on the 57th National Day of Prayer in the East Room of the White House. This afternoon, at 2:50 pm he will also make remarks at the celebration of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month.
Deputy White House Press Secretary Tony Fratto will brief the press at 12.30 pm today.




Economy

Fratto was asked if the GDP numbers this week were better than the Administration expected, and Fratto said that they had anticipated that the quarter numbers were going to be relatively flat. We had modestly encouraging news about .6% GDP, where the economy slightly expanded when there was a lot of expectation that it would contracting.


US air strike on Somalia

When asked for a confirmation on a US air strike in Somalia that is believe to have killed the head of a terrorist organization, Fratto said that he was aware of the report but referred to the Pentagon for further information.


Resignation

Fratto was asked if there are any more resignations following that of General Services Administration Lurita Doan, and he responded that he was not aware of any.


Whales

When asked for a comment on Rep. Harry Waxman’s concerns about a report that came out yesterday looking at White House involvement on protecting the whales. Fratto said that they were in the middle of the rule making process and he said that, “It is a robust and thorough process and we are going to listen to all the voices involves and come to a decision that is in the best interest of everybody involved… and making sure that we are protecting this very endangered species.” Every office is involved in review of decisions, which is why it is not at all unusual for the Vice President’s office to be involved, Fratto said.



Russia and Georgia

When asked if the President has spoken to Russian President Putin in the last 24 hours, Fratto said no. When asked about developments regarding Georgia and NATO involvement, Fratto said that they were concerned about reports coming out of the region and the US State Department is expressing their concerns through their appropriate channels. Fratto had nothing else specific to tell in terms of specific contact between Russia and Georgia. When asked who President Bush would call, Mr. Medvedev or Mr. Putin, Fratto replied that President Putin is the head of state of Russia.



Mission Accomplished

Fratto was asked if there will be any public notice of the anniversary of the “Mission Accomplished”, and he stated, “We know that all of you have it, since you have been asking about it for three days. We have been through this a number of times, and I don’t think I have anything to add.”



Food prices

Referring to the discussion on food prices on Capitol Hill, Fratto was asked if it was too early to push the panic button for ethanol, and he said that they take a strong look at how all of these policies affect food prices in the country. In regards to biofuels, there might “have been too much attention to bio fuel and not enough attention to all the other factors that affect food prices, especially in this county where it is a tiny slice of the increased prices for food in the United States,” Fratto said. Two years ago the price increased by 3.3% and last year by 4.5 %. “A very small portion of that price increase is attributed to biofuels, and there are lots of other factors; energy prices and the cost of transporting food, that has had a greater impact on that price increase than biofuel.”

Latvian President makes First Official Trip to U.S.

Latvian President Valdis Zatlers is making his first official state trip to the U.S. While he has been here before, as he was educated in the U.S., this trip is his first since being elected President. His visit to the National Press Club was to mark the 100 year anniversary of the press club and to discuss Latvia’s relationship with NATO and U.S.-Latvia relations. He thanked the U.S. and said he has been satisfied with his visit and with his meetings with President Bush, Vice President Cheney and Defense Secretary Gates.

Zatlers also discussed Latvia’s NATO membership stating what was a “dream is now a reality.” He also mentioned that relations with Russia have improved as a result of smart foreign policy. The President talked in length about Latvia’s role in Afghanistan. He believes the war to be a “very human mission” and advocates collective defense and collective military. The country is increasing their support through NATO of that war.

News from the United Nations 2.4.08

Today Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon was in Bucharest, Romania.  The SG met with NATO Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer and discussed tomorrow's meeting on Afghanistan.  In a written statement, the Secretary-General indicated that the two "discussed various issues of mutual interest and concern, starting with the situation in Afghanistan, and Kosovo, the Millennium Development Goals, regional offices and fighting against crime. I am also grateful for the kind gesture to allow shelter to refugees."

Later this week Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs John Holmes will travel to the middle east to discuss partnership and collaboration between the United Nations, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.  Mr. Holmes will meet with top-level government officials, and Red Cross affiliates.  On April 8th he will deliver the key-note address at the Dubai International Humanitarian Aid and Development Conference.

Today the United Nations issued a report stating school enrollment in South Sudan is expected to surpass 1 million.  According to the UN, Last year enrollment was approximately 340,000 students; this year enrollment will be 1.3 million. Since 2007, in conjunction with the government of South Sudan, the 'Go to School' United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) has worked to develop permanent education facilities, as well as construct a stable education infrastructure.